For the second time in three years, the Houston Texans looked to the trade market to repair their outlook in the backfield.
On March 2, the Texans acquired running back David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions in exchange for fourth- and seventh-round draft picks as well as offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, according to multiple reports.
The deal splits up Detroit’s ‘Sonic and Knuckles’ running back tandem, leaving three-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs as the primary engine in the backfield – for now. In Texans, Montgomery will provide a punch to a rushing attack that floundered with Joe Mixon missing the entire season and the line struggling to generate a push.
Who fared better in the swap? Here’s our breakdown for each side:
Texans trade grade: B-
The motivation and thought process for Houston seems pretty straightforward.
With rookie Woody Marks and veteran Nick Chubb stepping up to lead the way in the aftermath of Mixon’s foot/ankle injury – which remains shrouded in uncertainty – the Texans ranked 29th in yards per carry (3.9) and expected points added per rush. That left a disproportionate burden on C.J. Stroud, whom general manager Nick Caserio staunchly backed even after his rough showing in the playoffs. The most reasonable solution to help stabilize a volatile young passer, it stood to reason, was equipping him with a dependable run game.
Montgomery will turn 29 in June, but he’s still performing at a level that will would make for a meaningful boost to the Texans’ offense if he remains on his current trajectory. Finishing drives was another major problem area for Houston, with the team ranking 29th in red zone efficiency. The seven-year veteran might merely keep his new attack on schedule and hammer out some difficult yards, but that’s a needed element for Houston to have any hope of getting past its most glaring limitations. He should also make a distinct mark in the aerial attack as an ace pass blocker and outlet for Stroud when the signal-caller is under duress.
Those shortcomings, however, start up front. And after Houston traded the versatile Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns earlier Monday, it’s difficult to see how the organization plans to tackle the issue at its root. Blake Fisher’s development at right tackle remains concerning, to the point that USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis projected in his latest mock draft for the team to grab Clemson’s Blake Miller in the first round. With Howard gone and Scruggs shipped off as well, additional reinforcements are required on the interior for a front that made plenty of progress in pass protection but couldn’t dictate terms in the ground game.
The Texans seem to be shouldering Montgomery with a lot and expecting a quick fix. They shouldn’t come out of this deal empty-handed, but the problem might be more wide-reaching than they’re prepared to admit.
Lions trade grade: B
Parting with a key contributor is no doubt tough for a Detroit team intent on recapturing its leading contender status. But general manager Brad Holmes made it sound as though Montgomery’s fate wouldn’t be determined solely by the team’s plans.
‘We’d love to have him,’ Holmes said Feb. 24 at the NFL scouting combine. ‘Kind of want to put last year in the rearview and just move forward. But obviously, a player has to want to be at a certain place as well. So those conversations are still fluid and we’ll just kind of see how it goes.’
If Montgomery was truly intent on pushing his way elsewhere, this amounts to a nice return for a back of his age. Holmes has more resources to go hunting for Day 2 and 3 gems in the draft, and Scruggs, a 2023 second-round pick, is a decent depth toss-in for a franchise forced to rethink its own front.
The question for Detroit now becomes where the team turns for its missing physicality in the backfield. New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing surely doesn’t want to run Gibbs into the ground, especially given his heightened importance in the new offensive dynamic. Backup Sione Vaki was a fourth-round pick in 2024, but he only has logged seven carries in two years.
A value signing after the first wave of free agency could be in order if there’s the right fit. The Lions could look back to the draft as well, though this year’s running back group is widely seen as one of the weaker points of the class. There are several promising inside runners, such as Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr. and Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson, but the top options might come at too rich of a price for a role that will be largely complementary. Washington’s Jonah Coleman and Penn State’s Kaytron Allen might be more attainable figures who could help fill the vacancy.
