PHOENIX – Dan Campbell had an excellent vantage point to see and hear the powerful running style of veteran running back David Montgomery.
He watched how Montgomery delivered an impact with his punishing, downhill approach to inside runs, hearing the plastic popping as ‘Knuckles’ ran through linebackers.
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As much as the Detroit Lions liked Montgomery, they ultimate decided it was a smart business move to trade him to the Texans as his role had declined due to the emergence of star runner Jahmyr Gibbs The Texans acquired Montgomery in exchange for offensive guard Juice Scruggs, a fourth-round selection and a seventh-round pick.
Now that Montgomery is the Texans’ new RB1 as the replacement for Joe Mixon, Campbell predicts he’ll be a hit in Houston.
“I love David Montgomery,” Campbell told KPRC 2 at the annual NFL meetings at the Arizona Biltmore. “He’s a stud. He’s unbelievable. We had a conversation and felt like this was something that was going to be good for both sides. This gave David an opportunity to be the bellcow and we got some value back
“I love David. He’s a freaking pro, man. He is unbelievable. So, he will be missed, but I think the Houston Texans are going to be very happy with the back they just got. I think he makes them better.”
The Texans recently adjusted and upgraded Montgomery’s contract following his trade from the Lions.
Montgomery is due $16.5 million over the next two seasons on a deal that includes a $6.5 million signing bonus, per an NFL source. The revised deal, filed to the league, has a $1.5 million base salary this year that is fully guaranteed and up to $500,000 in per game active roster bonuses. His first-year payout is up to $8.5 million.
Next year, he is due a $7.5 million salary with $2 million of it guaranteed and a total of $500,000 in per game active roster bonuses.
Montgomery, 28, was previously due a nonguaranteed $5.49 million base salary this year and $7.49 million in 2027 with void years in 2028 and 2029.
Now, he’ll play for coach DeMeco Ryans and should provide a boost to a running game that was generally unproductive last year.
“Houston was definitely the place that I wanted to go,” Montgomery said during his introductory press conference. “I was in Detroit, a very successful organization, and I practiced against Houston a couple of times and they’ve always been the hardest team to practice against.
“So, you can tell the morale, the mentality that coach Ryans brings to the table too. You also get to look at yourself like, ‘Dang, if I ever had an opportunity, I would love to play for a guy like that.’ Look, I’m here now getting to play under a guy like that, and I want to come in and show these guys that I could hang with the big dawgs.”
Montgomery rushed for 4.5 yards per carry last season and has averaged 4.1 yards per run for his career. The Texans’ running game ranked 22nd overall, 3.9 yards per carry, 29th in the NFL, and 31st with nine touchdown runs. They badly needed reinforcements. Montgomery provides that anchor for their running game.
Montgomery played in every game last season. He caught 24 passes for 192 yards on 29 targets. He has 231 career receptions for 1,890 yards and four touchdowns.
“Being able to show that I can be more than what people think that I am, as much as them saying I’m a power back,” Montgomery said. “Because I hear that a lot, I could do a lot of stuff that power backs don’t do, or they don’t fit the criteria of what that is.
“I’m not going to talk too much about it, but I’m more of a show than tell kind of guy. So, I’m not going to say what I can or what I will do. I’m just going to show it. So, it’ll be fun to be part of an experience with a group of guys who are relentless and ready to go.”
During the Texans’ road trip to Detroit for a joint practice and preseason game with the Lions, Woody Marks was focused on his job during his first NFL preseason.
He still couldn’t help but notice the obvious energy, skill and intensity of the Lions’ offensive backfield.
Now, Marks is teaming up with Montgomery.
“I’m very excited,” Marks told KPRC 2. “Just looking back at the clips with him and Jahmyr Gibbs, it looked like they was having so much fun out there. When the running back room doing good and everybody blocking, it’s a party in the running back room. So, we’re looking to have that same joy him and Jahmyr Gibbs had bringing it down here in Houston.”
The arrival of Montgomery as the lead running back and primary replacement for injured former Pro Bowl selection Joe Mixon, who is expected to be released for a savings of $8 million, should allow Marks to stay fresh in a complementary role.
A fourth-round draft pick from USC who was a prolific pass-catching presence there and at Mississippi State, Marks rushed for a team-high 703 yards on 196 carries last season after taking over the starting job from five-time Pro Bowl selection Nick Chubb. He rushed for a season-high 112 yards and a touchdown run in an AFC wild-card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The emergence of Gibbs led to a reduced workload for Montgomery, who had 158 carries last season. A former Chicago Bears third-round draft pick, Montgomery has rushed for 6,115 career yards and 59 touchdowns. He rushed for 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns his first season in Detroit in 2023 and 775 yards and 12 touchdowns two seasons ago. His career-high for rushing yards is 1,070 yards in 2020 in Chicago, his second season in the league.
Montgomery finished his Lions career with 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns in three seasons. He had 1,015 yards, the second most of his career, in 2023.
Montgomery rushed for 4.5 yards per carry last season and has averaged 4.1 yards per run for his career. The Texans’ running game ranked 22nd overall, 3.9 yards per carry, 29th in the NFL, and 31st with nine touchdown runs. They badly needed reinforcements. Montgomery provides that anchor for their running game.
“Love him as a back, watched him a couple times, him and Jahmyr Gibbs, see how they complement each other,” Marks said. “We reached out to each other already, just time to get to work. Having another back in the backfield is always good. There’s less I can take off of my body and there’s less he can take off his body, and we’re just ready to get to work.”
Montgomery played in every game last season. He caught 24 passes for 192 yards on 29 targets. He has 231 career receptions for 1,890 yards and four touchdowns.
“This guy,” Campbell said at the NFL scouting combine prior to the trade. “He’s a heck of a back.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com