Why David Montgomery Believes in Texans Heading Into 2026 Season

The Houston Texans' backfield saw a notable upgrade across this past offseason after trading for David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions.

Montgomery, entering his eighth year in the league, brings some new juice to a Texans running game that desperately needed it.

Last season, the Texans were bottom-five in the NFL for yards per carry (3.9), rushing touchdowns (9), and rushing first downs (99), that left this team desperate for a lift in the run game.

By acquiring Montgomery for essentially a fourth-round pick, his power and experience provided in the backfield tends to bring exactly that.

Now Montgomery can fill in as perhaps one of the final necessary pieces for this offense to make a deep run in the postseason, which they've fallen short of through the past three years.

And when asking Montgomery, those high expectations for a deep run are felt all around the building. This Texans roster has eyes wired on a Super Bowl.

"Yeah, that's that's how we see it. Super Bowl or nothing," Montgomery said during an interview on NFL Network. "I think that should be anybody's goal when you get opportunity to strap up, put your pads, put your helmet on."

"You ain't out there for fun... Everybody want to put up the Lombardi. I want to do that. Everybody wants to do it here. And it feels real."

"This defense is super special... but this offense is gonna be real special too" ✨@MontgomerDavid on his new team @adamrank | @RapSheet | @HoustonTexans pic.twitter.com/upsLhcmBx0
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 27, 2026

Montgomery Already Feeling Effects of Texans Culture

Part of Montgomery's confidence comes from the unique mindset that key fixtures in the building have, such as defensive leader Will Anderson and head coach DeMeco Ryans.

Their unmatched mentality tends to rub off on guys like Montgomery, even in the early parts of offseason training like Houston currently finds themselves in, and makes everyone want to be a step better.

"You've got guys like Will [Anderson], you got guys at every aspect of the game here on all facets being led by Coach Ryans, and it makes you want to elevate yourself and be in a position to where you give us a chance to take a shot at that thing," Montgomery said.

"And I think that we capable doing it. This defense is super special... But this offense is finna be real special, too. I hope that people are ready for it."

Montgomery Likes What He Sees From C.J. Stroud

Montgomery also has some of that confidence budding because of the guy he's got under center: fourth-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.

And while Stroud has faced his fair share of noise this offseason, being inside the building and working with the Texans quarterback has shown Montgomery up close the type of talent he is; not just as a thrower of the football, but also someone who can be an effective leader of an offense.

“I think C.J. has a rare arm talent. Super, super talented with his arm," Montgomery said. "I got here a couple weeks ago, we going out throwing passes, and I’m like ‘he can really zip this thing.’ You can tell: he's a little younger, but he definitely takes charge and control of the offense. He is who he is and carries himself the way he does. He makes everybody want to follow him."

"To watch him from a distance from where I was, to actually be here with him now, see how he taking the reins and bringing everybody along, it’s a super special thing to see and be a part of. I’m just excited to be here for it.”

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) practices during training camp at Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park on Monday, July 21, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Combining a motivated Stroud with an improved supporting cast with the likes of Montgomery and several new offensive line pieces ahead of him, this offseason tends to check all the right boxes to inspire confidence for an even better season from what the Texans just did in 2025.

And if this offense can lift just a few steps further than what last season's sample size had shown, it might just be enough to propel Houston to their first-ever conference championship by the end of it––or better yet, a shot at a Super Bowl ring.

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