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Detroit is moving on from the veteran.
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.
Lions agree to trade David Montgomery to Texans
Running back David Montgomery publicly denied the report that he wanted out of Detroit.
Well, he's now headed elsewhere anyway.
According to multiple reports, the Lions have agreed to trade Montgomery to the Texans.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Lions will receive a Houston fourth-round pick, offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, and a seventh-round pick in exchange for Montgomery.
Montgomery, 28, saw his role in Detroit’s offense reduced in 2025 as Jahmyr Gibbs continued to ascend at running back. He finished the season with 716 yards rushing with eight touchdowns, also catching 24 passes for 192 yards.
Lions General Manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell expressed a desire to keep Montgomery around at the scouting combine last week. But that plan has apparently changed with the Texans’ offer.
Woody Marks led the Texans last season with 703 yards rushing with Nick Chubb finishing second with 506 yards on the ground. Joe Mixon did not play after sitting out the season with an injury.
The Montgomery trade cannot become official until the start of the new league year on March 11.
Lions reportedly trade veteran RB David Montgomery to Texans
The Detroit Lions are trading veteran running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Monday.
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
The Texans will send their 2026 fourth-round pick, offensive line Juice Scruggs and a seventh-round pick for Montgomery, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports.
The news comes just one day after Montgomery denied reports that he "wanted out" of Detroit, refuting a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that he was seeking a fresh start, also noting that the Lions would want "possibly a fifth-rounder" in return for the vet.
Montgomery was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears as a third-round pick out of the 2019 NFL Draft class. After four years in Chicago as the team's lead running back, he signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Lions in free agency in 2023, following that up with a two-year, $18.25 million contract extension in Oct. 2024.
Montgomery is scheduled to become a free agent again in 2028, barring a new deal with Houston.
This breaking news story will be updated.