The NFL offseason is heating up.
Because the league travels house from Indianapolis following the NFL Scouting Mix, groups are starting to make strikes forward of the official begin to the league 12 months. Final week noticed the New York Jets execute a commerce with the Tennessee Titans, with Jermaine Johnson and T’Vondre Sweat switching groups, and this week has gotten off to an enormous begin because of the Houston Texans.
Early on Monday morning, the Texans traded offensive lineman Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns. However then got here a good greater transfer, as Houston has accomplished a commerce with the Detroit Lions for operating again David Montgomery. In return for Montgomery, the Lions are receiving offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, a fourth-round decide, and a seventh-round decide.
Let’s dive into this commerce with some grades.
There is no such thing as a denying that Montgomery is a standout operating again who has produced at an honest degree for the Lions since he made the transfer to Detroit for 2023. In his three seasons for the Lions, Montgomery has racked up 2,506 speeding yards on 562 makes an attempt for 33 touchdowns, and added one other 650 receiving yards on 76 catches.
However after ripping off 1,015 speeding yards throughout his first 12 months with the Lions, Montgomery noticed his manufacturing dip, as Jahmyr Gibbs began taking extra of the workload within the Detroit backfield. Montgomery ran for 775 yards on 185 speeding makes an attempt in 2024, and that dipped to 716 yards on 158 speeding makes an attempt final season.
With the emergence of Gibbs, Montgomery was seeing his workload decreased. Whereas rumors of a possible commerce have been swirling in current days, the operating again denied these studies over the weekend, indicating on social media that he needed to remain in Detroit.
However these rumors additionally indicated that the Lions could be in search of a Day Three decide in return.
As an alternative, they obtain an choice for the offensive line, and a pair of Day Three picks. As well as, the transfer created anyplace from $3.5 million to $6 million in cap area for the Lions, relying on how the commerce is designated. In the meanwhile Detroit is at the moment over the wage cap for the 2026 season.
All advised, this can be a good transfer for the Lions.
In a vacuum, this seems to be like a great transfer for the Texans.
Montgomery remains to be a productive again, and with the emergence of Gibbs over the previous two seasons, the diminished workload for Montgomery in Detroit means he might have so much left within the tank for when he arrives in Houston. And as many NFL insiders identified when information of the commerce broke, this transfer follows a sample for Texans common supervisor Nick Caserio. Two years in the past the Texans traded for Joe Mixon, who was an enormous a part of their offense the next 12 months. Then it was Nick Chubb who was added to the roster, and now Montgomery.
Three energy backs who can provide the offense a lift.
Nonetheless, trades don’t occur in a vacuum.
Heading into the NFL offseason, one of many largest query marks was how the Texans have been going to form their offensive line, and assist C.J. Stroud. Bolstering their operating sport does appear to be a wise transfer — and Montgomery will assist in that effort — however a operating sport is commonly solely pretty much as good because the 5 males up entrance alongside the offensive line.
With Howard and now Scruggs on their approach out of Houston, two extra items of that offensive line room have been faraway from the board.
That brings the grade down a bit, as a result of we’re left questioning how the Texans will form their offensive line forward of the brand new season. With free company and the 2026 NFL Draft looming, there’s time for Caserio to rebuilt that group, however till we see the total imaginative and prescient, it’s exhausting to get totally on board.
