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EspañolWhy Lions and Texans agreed to trade for running back David Montgomery
Why Lions and Texans agreed to trade for running back David Montgomery originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Detroit Lions and Houston Texans have reportedly agreed to a trade.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Lions are sending running back David Montgomery to the Texans in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
"Trade: Lions are sending RB David Montgomery to the Texans for a 5th-round pick, per sources," Schefter reported.
Montgomery was widely viewed as a trade candidate going into the offseason, and now a trade has come to fruition.
Why Lions, Texans trade happened
A recent report suggested Montgomery wanted out of Detroit.
Montgomery saw his role decrease behind Jahmyr Gibbs last season and was clearly not thrilled with that arrangement, which led to general manager Brad Holmes admitting that Montgomery could get moved in 2026.
"Those are discussions that we're going to have a lot more in depth, in terms of, like, what is the best plan for him going forward? Is it somewhere else, or whatever the case be?" Holmes said.
As for the Texans, they are almost certainly going to cut veteran Joe Mixon, who missed all of last season with a foot injury.
Houston needed a veteran starter at the top of the depth chart to complement Woody Marks and Jawhar Jordan. Montgomery checks that box.
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What David Montgomery trade to Texans means for Woody Marks
Houston is remaking its backfield.
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What David Montgomery trade to Texans means for Woody Marks
What David Montgomery trade to Texans means for Woody Marks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Houston Texans didn't wait long to find a new backfield contributor.
On Monday, a couple weeks before free agency even opens, they swung a trade with the Detroit Lions. It cost the Texans just a fifth-round pick to acquire David Montgomery.
Montgomery is 28 years old but still an effective back, running for eight touchdowns and 4.5 yards per carry in 2025.
He had just become expendable in Detroit thanks to the continued emergence of superstar RB Jahmyr Gibbs.
The fit with the Texans is fascinating, though, because of Woody Marks.
What happens to Woody Marks after David Montgomery trade?
Marks put together a promising rookie season, but now his workload seems destined to shift with the acquisition of Montgomery.
In reality, the Texans probably don't plan to change their long-term outlook on Marks much. He's still an impressive receiving back who also gets the job done on the ground.
But in the near term, this could mean a 50-50 kind of carry split between Marks and Montgomery.
The Texans may have felt this was a necessary move for one reason: Marks' injuries.
In almost every game he played as a rookie, Marks needed to depart for the blue medical tent. Most of the time, he made it back on the field, but it's still a concerning trend.
For a team that wants to finally make it past the AFC Divisional Round, veteran depth at RB is a positive thing.
Montgomery is still a quality player, and he can take the load off Marks not in a diminishing way but in a way that improves Houston's team as a whole.