The Houston Texans traded for veteran David Montgomery this offseason to provide oomph to a backfield that struggled to gain any traction in 2025.
“He’s a three-down back,” Texans running backs coach and assistant head coach Danny Barrett told Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. “He can do it all. It first starts with his mentality. He comes to work every day, same guy every day. How can I get better? The first meeting we had, we talked about how can we get better. He wants to be the best.
“Leave a mark on the game, but also helping the young guys develop that mindset. He’s going to finish every run. He’s going to finish every block. And it’s just that type of mentality that he’s brought to our room that’s going to carry us to the next level with the talent that we have.”
After seeing his snaps siphoned off last season with the Lions, Montgomery read the tea leaves. Detroit was going to give Jahmyr Gibbs the lion’s share of the workload, leaving Montgomery as a true backup. He wanted a larger role, so he requested a trade. Detroit eventually shipped him to Houston for fourth- and seventh-round picks and guard Juice Scruggs. The Texans inked Montgomery to a new $16.5 million contract.
The 29-year-old still has juice left. He can bowl over defenders between the tackles, always falls forward, and can be a plus in the passing attack. Montgomery’s ability to find a sliver of space and gain tough yards will be a welcome sight in Houston, which struggled mightily in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
“He’s all-day tough,” offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. “His body of work will speak for itself. Runs behind his pads, stays grounded. Arm tackles aren’t getting it done. He’s going to try to run through you every single chance. He can sets guys up. He understands how to set blocks and to deliver and help deliver defenders to the blocker.
“You look at his pass game production, he’s just got a really good feel. He’s refined. He takes a lot of pride in his route running. He brings a lot. That’s one of the many reasons I’m really excited about him.”
Montgomery generated 716 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 158 carries -- a career low -- in 2025.
The veteran fills the void left by Joe Mixon, who didn’t play last year and was eventually released this offseason, and will pair with second-year back Woody Marks. The shifty Marks flashed some potential last season behind a struggling offensive line, but will be better suited in a tandem with the veteran. The change-of-pace youngster could take the third-down role.
“I’m very excited,” Marks told Wilson of the pairing with Montgomery. “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.”
In Montgomery’s first season in Detroit, he rushed for 1,015 yards and 13 TDs while Gibbs, then a rookie, added 945 yards and 10 rushing scores. The Texans would be ecstatic with anything close to that outcome. Simply getting a consistent running game that can keep the chains moving and doesn’t get pushed back on third-and-1 would be better than what we watched from Houston a year ago.