The Houston Texans are making another trade, sending a 2026 fourth-round pick, a 2026 seventh-round pick, and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs to the Detroit Lions for running back David Montgomery, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The deal comes just hours after they shipped offensive lineman Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns.
Montgomery is the long-awaited replacement for veteran running back Joe Mixon, who missed the entirety of 2025 with a non-football injury.
Now, Houston has a new face to lead their ground attack in Montgomery—one of the most powerful and hard-running backs in the NFL.
The deal feels very reminiscent of the trade made with the Cincinnati Bengals to land Mixon in 2024.
David Montgomerey Finds a New Home With Texans
There had been trade rumors surrounding Montgomery since the start of the offseason, and the Houston Texans pounced on the opportunity.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the former Lions running back was ready to move on and wanted out of Detroit.
“Lions’ David Montgomery wants out, has a reasonable contract (owed $6 million in 2026) and is 28. That has value. Word out of Indy is that Detroit would want a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder) in return,” wrote Fowler.
Montgomery gets his wish in the trade and now will have the opportunity to lead the Texans’ backfield after splitting reps with Jahmyr Gibbs the last three seasons.
Texans Cap Ramifications
In October 2024, Montgomery signed a two-year, $18.2 million extension with the Detroit Lions that carries through to the 2027 season. The Houston Texans are now on the hook for that contract.
It’s a reasonable deal for a running back of Montgomery’s stature. Over the last three years with Detroit, the player affectionately referred to as “Knuckles” accumulated 2,506 rushing yards on 562 carries, scoring 33 touchdowns.
His $9.13 million average annual salary ranks 12th-most in the league among running backs, two slots below Mixon on his contract that is likely to be terminated in the coming weeks.
The Texans will need to make multiple moves to get themselves cap-compliant. After the Montgomery trade, they currently sit at -$9.2 million, per Over the Cap. That won’t even be enough to get their incoming draft class signed.
Parting ways with Mixon will certainly free up some space, but they’ll need to get flexible if they want to continue adding to their depleted offensive line.
Departure of Juice Scruggs & Texans OL Ramifications
The Houston Texans have now traded away two offensive linemen in one day, with Howard now a Cleveland Brown and Scruggs now a Detroit Lion.
Scruggs was selected by the Texans in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Penn State, but was never really able to find his groove in Houston.
In three seasons with the Texans, Scruggs only started 20 of 51 possible games, fairly disappointing for a player selected so high.
He’ll get a fresh start in Detroit, entering the final year of his rookie contract, and may already have a fan in head coach Dan Campbell. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero shared an anecdote dating back to the 2023 scouting combine.
From the t.co/uI2glnokIS pre-draft scouting report on Juice Scruggs: “He plays like a block of granite…”
That fits.
The Texans are now primed to target an offensive lineman in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft. They’re desperate for talent and now need multiple starters after Monday’s trades.
With their less-than-ideal cap situation, free agent moves will be limited. But maybe another trade could bring them a new starter to help protect C.J. Stroud and open running lanes for their new running back.
Texans Trade Lineman & 2 Draft Picks to Acquire 6,100-Yard RB