David Montgomery Reveals Why He Wanted to Join Texans

The Houston Texans upgraded their running back room in a big way to kick off their 2026 offseason by making a big swing for David Montgomery with the Detroit Lions.

In exchange for a fourth and a seventh-round pick, along with offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, the Texans picked up Montgomery to bring a veteran runner to their backfield that needed a spark, while also providing the now-former Lions back a chance to expand his role from what he had in Detroit.

But the interest of adding Montgomery into this backfield was seemingly a mutual one too. According to The Houston Chronicle's Jonathan M. Alexander, the Texans were one of Montgomery's preferred destinations around the league to be traded to in a deal out of Detroit after three seasons.

The Texans stood out for Montgomery in particular because they were a tough team to play against, and he always thought a coach like DeMeco Ryans would be one he'd like to play for.

David Montgomery said one of the reasons Houston was one of his preferred destinations was because they were always the toughest teams he practiced and played against.

He said he always thought to himself that he would like to play for a coach like DeMeco Ryans.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) March 13, 2026

David Montgomery Saw Appealing Fit With Texans

The Texans' culture is a distinct one that tends to attract players cut from a certain cloth. And Montgomery, having spent the last three seasons with a fiery Dan Campbell as his leader at the helm, feels like a perfect fit into a "SWARM" type of culture that Houston has built since Ryans arrived in 2023.

Montgomery comes off a 2025 campaign in which he logged the lowest total carries and rushing yards in a single season of his career, and enters what will be his age-29 season starting Week One in Houston.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) walks off the field after practice during training camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Sunday, July 20, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But regardless of that down season, Montgomery feels as if he's still in his prime moving into his new fit with Houston. And as the Texans are in need of a boost in their running back room, he feels more than capable of being the spark to help bring that to the table.

"I honestly feel like I'm in my prime. Am I able to handle the workload? Yes, because I work hard in the offseason to be able to do something like that," Montgomery said, via Alexander.

New #Texans RB David Montgomery: "I honestly feel like I'm in my prime. Am I able to handle the work load? Yes, because I work hard in the offseason to be able to do something like that."
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) March 13, 2026

Last year, the Texans finished as the 11th-worst rushing attack in terms of total yards, and tied for second-worst in the NFL for total rushing touchdowns with nine.

After being led by the tandem of Woody Marks and Nick Chubb, combined with the bleak future that would lie ahead for Joe Mixon, Houston knew the backfield needed a facelift before next season. One quick trade with Detroit made a big investment before the start of the new league year to do just that.

Now, Marks will have a powerful back in Montgomery to pair alongside as a one-two punch, who's proven more than capable of pairing with an explosive runner in his Lions backfield.

It could be exactly what the Texans need to get their rushing offense back on track in a pivotal 2026 season, and thus help balance this scoring unit entirely following another year of inconsistent production.

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