David Montgomery Addresses Reduced Carries in Detroit Lions Offense

Montgomery speaks on 2025 season workload.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5). | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions have leaned on their run game throughout the Dan Campbell era, and David Montgomery has been a cornerstone of that effort.

However, things changed somewhat for Montgomery in the 2025, as his snap count lessend as the regular season wore on. As Jahmyr Gibbs blossomed into one of the league's dynamic talents, Montgomery became somewhat less of a presence within Detroit's offense.

Montgomery finished the year with 716 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, but played over 35 percent of the team's snaps in just one of the final five regular season games.

During an interview promoting Boy Scouts of America on radio row during Super Bowl week, Montgomery was asked about the Lions' backfield and his role within it. The veteran running back disagreed with NBC Sports' Chris Simms' impression that Gibbs was stealing his carries, and that he feels the impact of having two solid backs and what that can do for a team.

“I wouldn’t say dealing with it, and I wouldn’t say stealing. I would say you’re on a team with the luxury of having two guys like that," Montgomery said. "I’m a competitor just like anybody that’s playing at a high level in a professional sport. Everybody wants to play, and everybody wants to be involved. The good thing about this is that I’m an incredible teammate, and I’ll do whatever it is that I need to do to ensure that my team is going in the right direction. But I want to be a part of that, also.” 

Return to contention

Montgomery knows the Lions underacheived relative to their lofty expectations during the 2025 season, as they missed the postseason and finished in last place in the NFC North. However, he doesn't expect the team to be in the cellar for very long.

Though he's uncertain exactly where things went wrong for Detroit this past season, Montgomery has steadfast trust in general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. The veteran believes that the ship will be steered into the right direction, and the organization will be back in the contending mix very soon.

“I honestly can’t answer that question. That’s why they pay Brad, and that’s why they pay coach Campbell, to get the answers to those kind of questions. This I do know — Brad and coach Campbell, they work hard. It won’t be something we’ll be living in," Montgomery noted. "It’ll be corrected, and we’ll be right back to where we were before this year. We’re trying to go — we’re going to the Super Bowl.”

Another aspect of the Lions' future hopes of returning to the postseason is the addition of new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. The Lions replaced John Morton shortly after the season, adding Petzing who previously coordinated the Arizona Cardinals' offense for three years.

Petzing has a strong history of directing the ground game, as he designed a scheme that propelled James Connor to back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Montgomery has spoken with Petzing, and came away from their initial conversation impressed and convinced that he can be the right guy for the Lions.

“I talked to him briefly. It’s pretty evident that he knows exactly what has to happen, and he’s prepared for the task at hand," Montgomery said. "It’ll be good to see what he implements in our offense and how we can improve better than we were last year.”