Lions Offer Discouraging Injury Update on RB David Montgomery

Getty Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell provided an injury update on running back David Montgomery.

Running back David Montgomery has already missed one game for the Detroit Lions this season. It sounds as though he could miss a few more after suffering a rib injury during Week 6.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell told the media in his October 16 press conference that Montgomery has “got a little something” going on with the cartilage in his ribs. Campbell did not provide an exact timeline for Montgomery’s recovery, but the head coach implied it could be a few weeks before he returns.

“He’s probably going to be down for a little bit here. I don’t know how long,” Campbell said. “At his position, you know, that’s not an easy thing to deal with, so we’ll just take it as it comes.

“I think there’s a chance that we won’t have him for a bit.”

Montgomery left about halfway through the second quarter of the team’s Week 6 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He didn’t return.

Before exiting, Montgomery had 14 rushing yards on 6 attempts. He also had 1 reception for 19 yards in the 20-6 victory.

Lions to Place David Montgomery on Injured Reserve?

After explaining the likelihood of not having Montgomery “for a bit,” Campbell received a question about whether the team would place the veteran running back on injured reserve.

Campbell answered that he wasn’t sure about that. For now, the head coach described the team’s plan as to see how Montgomery’s injury progresses throughout this week.

“See what he feels like tomorrow,” Campbell said. “See what he feels like Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and then we’ll kind of see where we’re at.”

If the Lions place Montgomery on injured reserve before Week 7, he will have to miss the next four games. That means he will not be eligible to play again until Thanksgiving against the Green Bay Packers.

The Lions have their bye in Week 9. Therefore, placing him on injured reserve would give him five weeks (four and a half with the Thanksgiving matchup) to recover.

If the Lions anticipate Montgomery not needing a month to recover, the team will probably hesitate in placing him on IR.

RB Jahmyr Gibbs Inching Closer to Return for Lions

Losing Montgomery wouldn’t be as bad if the Lions still had rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs healthy. Gibbs has missed the past two weeks because of a hamstring injury.

The good news, though, is Gibbs could be ready to play in Week 7 against the Baltimore Ravens.

“I feel a lot better about Gibbs this week,” Campbell said on October 16. “He ran really well on Saturday before we left [for Tampa Bay], and had another really good workout today.”

Getting back Gibbs could extremely key to the Lions continuing their road winning streak in Baltimore on October 22. When Montgomery didn’t play in Week 3, Gibbs rushed for 80 yards on 17 carries in a 20-6 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.

Although Craig Reynolds had an impressive block that led to a touchdown in Week 6, Reynolds and fellow backup running back Devine Ozigbo struggled on the ground. Even including Montgomery’s yardage, the Lions had 40 rushing yards, averaging 1.8 yards per carry, versus the Buccaneers.

If Montgomery and Gibbs can’t play in Week 7, Reynolds will likely be Detroit’s lead back. Campbell said the team could also get creative to generate a rushing attack.

“We’ve got other guys that we can use there on the roster at that position probably in the receiver room,” said Campbell.

Reynolds has not started an NFL game since the 2021 season.