David Montgomery Feels He’s Still in His Prime Following Texans Trade

David Montgomery believes that he is still in his prime after recording his worst numbers for the Lions before joining the Texans via trade.

David Montgomery Feels He’s Still in His Prime Following Texans Trade

David Montgomery (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • David Montgomery has joined the Houston Texans after leaving the Detroit Lions, believing he is still in his prime.
  • The Texans acquired Montgomery in exchange for a fourth- and seventh-round pick, along with offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.
  • Montgomery is excited to play alongside quarterback CJ Stroud and is open to a new nickname from Texans fans.

Breaking the Sonic and Knuckles partnership wasn’t easy for David Montgomery, but the seven-year running back felt it was the right moment to take on a new challenge. Leaving Detroit behind, he accepted the Houston Texans’ offer to become potentially their starting yard-gainer on the ground.

The Texans got Montgomery by giving up a fourth- and seventh-round pick and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. They needed a veteran to replace Joe Mixon. Montgomery, 28, believes he still has plenty of energy left.

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.

David Montgomery told Jonathan M. Alexander of The Houston Chronicle

2025 was statistically Montgomery’s worst season since entering the league in 2019 as a third-round draft pick. He racked up 158 rushes for 716 yards and scored 8 touchdowns, along with catching 24 passes for 192 yards.

DM was stuck in a third-down power back role while Jahmyr Gibbs handled most of the workload in Detroit. Gibbs racked up over 1,800 all-purpose yards and scored 18 total touchdowns on his way to earning his third straight Pro Bowl selection.

Montgomery chose the Texans because their playing style mirrored the same hard-hitting approach used by the Lions’ head coach, Dan Campbell. According to Alexander,

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.

Alexander further noted that the Texans’ offensive coordinator, Nick Caley, may have played a significant role in signing the 5-foot-11, 230-pound back. He likes to keep track of former Iowa State players, having served as a graduate assistant with the Hawkeyes from 2009 to 2011.

David Montgomery is excited to link up with CJ Stroud at Houston

The Texans went 12-5 in the regular season and qualified for the wild-card round, where they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers. They faced off against the Patriots in the divisional round fixture. New England proved a difficult opponent, and the Texans went down 28-16.

David Montgomery Feels He’s Still in His Prime Following Texans Trade
David Montgomery (Image via IMAGO)

Despite the success, the lion’s share of the credit went to the Texans’ defense, led by Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. Quarterback CJ Stroud capped arguably his worst campaign to date. The second overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft threw five interceptions in the playoffs, four of them coming in the loss to the Patriots.

Despite the disappointing end, Montgomery is excited to play behind Stroud in the Texans’ offense.

He [CJ is] a dawg. He’s cold. That’s somebody I want to play with.

Montgomery said

As he is no longer “Knuckles,” Montgomery is excited to find out about his new nickname. He will happily accept any name the Texans fans give him.

Montgomery has made 105 appearances in the NFL, racking up 1477 rushes for 6115 yards and 59 touchdowns, along with catching 231 passes for 1890 yards and 4 receiving touchdowns.

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