Lions Trade David Montgomery to Texans For OL, Picks

'Sonic and Knuckles' is no more for the Detroit Lions.

On Monday, the Lions agreed to a trade sending David Montgomery to the Houston Texans in exchange for a fourth-round pick, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and a seventh-round pick. The seventh-round pick is in the 2027 NFL Draft.

The deal ends what has become something of a saga between Montgomery and the Lions. Since the regular season ended, there has been uncertainty surrounding whether the veteran would be back in a Lions uniform for the 2026 season.

"The Texans were David Montgomery's preferred destination if he was to be traded, sources say," wrote NFL insider Mike Garafolo. "The Lions maintained communication with Montgomery throughout the process. He lands in Houston, which pulled off two trades today."

Scruggs is a former second-round pick drafted by the Texans in 2023. He has appeared in 37 games with 20 starts in his career, playing mostly on the interior of the offensive line.

Though he played a prominent role for most of the 2025 season, Montgomery's workload diminished as the season wore on. He wound up playing just 37 percent of the team's overall offensive snaps in 2025, which is the lowest percentage of snaps he's played in a season.

He finished the year with 158 carries for 716 yards and eight touchdowns. However, he took a back seat largely due to the performance of the electric Jahmyr Gibbs. In his third NFL season, Gibbs took a big step and surpassed 1,200 rushing yards. The Alabama product scored 18 all-purpose touchdowns.

Trade! The Lions are sending RB David Montgomery to the Texans, sources tell The Insiders. pic.twitter.com/ojzZyHVqZN
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 2, 2026

As a result, there were questions about whether or not Montgomery wanted to return to Detroit, even though he had just signed a two-year contract extension in October of 2024. A report Sunday indicated that Montgomery wanted out, which was the latest development surrounding his future.

Even though Montgomery posted on social media a comment that seemed to refute the report, just one day later he has been traded to an AFC South team.

In his three seasons with the Lions, Montgomery totaled 2,506 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns in 45 games. At his best, he was deemed the 'Knuckles' to Jahmyr Gibbs' 'Sonic' given their contrasting and complimentary play styles.

With Montgomery traded, the Lions have Gibbs established as the clear lead running back. Behind him, the team has Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors currently under contract. Vaki is entering his third professional season as a 2024 fourth-round pick, while Saylors is on a one-year, exclusive rights deal.

According to OverTheCap, trading Montgomery creates $4,862,501 in dead money and opens up $3,508,332 in cap savings for the Lions in 2026. Scruggs, meanwhile, is in the final year of his rookie contract and is set to have a cap number of $1,940,625.

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