One of the biggest moves the Detroit Lions made this offseason was the addition of running back David Montgomery, formerly of the Chicago Bears.
Montgomery was a surprise signing early in free agency, agreeing to a three-year, $18 million contract, and gave the Lions a major weapon for their backfield for the 2023 season and beyond. His departure from Chicago was frustrating for some, former teammates included.
One of those teammates was Equinimeous St. Brown, a Bears wideout. St. Brown got to know Montgomery well playing in the NFC North, and was upset to see him departing, especially to rival Detroit.
Speaking along with his brother Amon-Ra St. Brown on a podcast with The 33rd Team, St. Brown was asked what Lions fans can expect from Montgomery. As he said, there is no question about Montgomery’s talent at all.
“You guys are getting a great running back to replace (Jamaal Williams) in David (Montgomery). I know. I had him here and he’s a great running back, so you guys will be okay. He’ll be fine. Everyone’s gonna do great next year. It’s gonna be a win-win, both teams,” St. Brown said of the moves that Montgomery and Williams made.
In terms of what fans should know, St. Brown admitted that while fans will be sad to lose a good talent and person in Williams, the team will be more than covered with the addition of Montgomery. As a result, he didn’t want to see him leave the Bears.
“I know they’re sad to see Jamaal (Williams) go, but he’s one of the hardest running backs I’ve ever seen run the ball. I just remember being on the Packers and playing against him just thinking ‘damn, we cannot tackle this man.’ I’m pissed to see him go. Me and him are close. We talk a lot of s***. It’s always fun and games. I told him congrats,” St. Brown explained on the show.
As Amon-Ra added, the Lions are excited to be able to have Montgomery in the backfield to tote the ball for the team. He knows he will be motivated to show out against the Bears as well, which could be an added advantage.
“Him and Swift in the backfield are going to be crazy. I know we’re all going to miss Jamaal on the team. He played great last year for us, great dude, awesome person, great player. We got D-Mo and Swift. I already know when we play the Bears, he’s going to go crazy,” St. Brown said on the show with a laugh.
It looks as if the brothers are very confident in what Montgomery will be able to bring to the Lions, even as the team loses one of their former top players in Williams.
David Montgomery Will Boost Lions Ground Game
Montgomery comes to Detroit at a time where the Lions’ offense is beginning to come around in a big way in terms of running the football and establishing that identity on offense.
During the 2022 season, the Lions ran the ball well and finished as a top-11 unit in the league. Detroit churned out a total of 2,179 yards and nearly 128.2 yards per game on average. They went for about 4.5 yards-per-carry and scored a gaudy 23 touchdowns, most of which were added by Jamaal Williams, who had 17 scores.
Interestingly enough, Montgomery himself was part of a Chicago offense that had the best rush offense in the league during 2022. The Bears finished first, rushing for 3,014 yards and 5.4 yards-per-carry average. Lots of that had to do with Justin Fields, but Montgomery was a big part of their success.
Adding him to an already solid Lions offense that ranked top-four in the league should figure to help Detroit in a big way, and could give the Lions more of the explosion they seemed to lack at times during the 2022 season.
David Montgomery’s Stats & Highlights
After being drafted into the league in 2019 as a third-round pick out of Iowa State, Montgomery wasted no time making a major impact for Chicago’s offense.
As a rookie, Montgomery rushed for 889 yards and six touchdowns while adding 185 yards and one touchdown through the air. He would go on to have 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020, chipping in seven more scores in 2021.
In total, Montgomery has put up 3,609 yards and 26 rushing touchdowns, while adding 1,240 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He gives a team some solid pass catching as well as running.
Having seen Montgomery up close, St. Brown seems confident in the Lions getting a winner. The stats seem to paint that picture for the running back as well.
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Lions $18 Million Signing Praised by Division Rival: ‘Pissed to See Him Go’