Why Detroit Lions Won't Miss RB David Montgomery in 2026

When the Detroit Lions take the field for the start of the 2026 season, their backfield will have a different look.

Gone are the days of 'Sonic and Knuckles,' with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery being one of the NFL's best tandems out of the backfield. Detroit dealt Montgomery to the Houston Texans this offseason, in exchange for a draft pick and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.

The move to send Montgomery to Houston provides Gibbs with the opportunity to step up into the top role, as the Lions have anointed him as their 'bell-cow,' meaning he will take over the heavy lifting out of the backfield in 2026.

Montgomery was a huge asset for the better part of his three seasons in Detroit. Signed the same offseason that the Lions drafted Gibbs, he quickly took to his role both as a primary back and the proverbial thunder to Gibbs' lightning.

Yet, the benefits of that partnership began to falter late in the 2025 season, which ultimately led to the change that the team made. Montgomery did not start a game last year, and recorded his lowest carry and rushing yards totals during his time in Detroit last season.

While he did have some solid performances, such as a 151-yard performance against Baltimore in Week 3, the signs of him taking less of a role in Detroit were evident late in the year. The split of workload between him and Gibbs became less even, as he played over 40 percent of the team's snaps in just one game after Week 10.

Furthermore, in that timespan Montgomery carried the ball 10 times in just one game, which was the team's defeat at Minnesota in the penultimate regular season game. In that game, he recorded just 25 rushing yards.

Now, Montgomery appears to be heading to a solid situation where he'll be utilized at a high level in Houston. The move from Detroit appears to be mutually beneficial, as the Lions didn't seem to have a heavy workload for Montgomery in the plans for next season.

The Lions have replaced Montgomery with Isiah Pacheco, a free agent signed to a one-year deal in the offseason. Pacheco had a strong start to his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, but injuries slowed his development and have limited his contributions over the last two seasons.

While the Lions will miss the consistency Montgomery provided at the peak of his time with the team, they were comfortable moving on and seem intrigued by the potential pairing between Gibbs and Pacheco.

However, it likely won't be as even of a split as it was between Gibbs and Montgomery, and as a result the young running back will be able to fully showcase his abilities as the focal point of the run game for the first time in his career.

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