David Montgomery's time in Detroit is done.
The Lions are trading Montgomery to the Texans for interior offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a fourth-round pick and seventh-round pick, per ESPN.
Montgomery was disgruntled about his reduced role last season and wanted a change of scenery after he saw career lows in carries, touches and yards in his third year with the Lions. Detroit wanted to bring him back, having signed him to an extension in 2024, but Montgomery's desire to play elsewhere won out.
It's a good return for the Lions, who get two extra picks on Day 3 of the draft and maybe more importantly a potential starting center to replace Graham Glasgow, who's unlikely to be back. Scruggs, a second-round pick in 2023, started 13 games for the Texans in 2023, seeing most of his action at center. He played in 17 games last season, mostly at left guard.
Scruggs is entering the final season of his rookie contract with a $1.6 million cap hit in 2026. Trading Montgomery, meanwhile, will save the Lions $3.5 million against the cap this year (with a dead cap charge of $4.9 million) and $7.6 million next (with a dead cap charge of $2.5 million).
The Lions do have a need at running back now. Montgomery was an ideal complement to Jahmyr Gibbs as a physical counterpunch when Detroit's rushing attack was at its best in 2024 and 2023.
The only other running backs on the Lions' roster with NFL experience are Sione Vaki, an oft-injured draft pick from 2024 who was primarily a safety in college, and Jacob Saylors.