David Montgomery excited to be part of the next step for the Detroit Lions

Once viewing the Detroit Lions as an easy mark for him, David Montgomery is excited to be part of the rise in Detroit.

Much to the chagrin of fans, once it was clear Jamaal Williams was going to be gone, the Detroit Lions pivoted quickly to former Chicago Bears running back David Montgomery.

Montgomery is a talent upgrade over Williams, well-worth the extra cost to sign him over the deal Williams got from the New Orleans Saints. After running behind a poor Bears’ offensive line, the last couple years especially, Montgomery running behind the Lions’ offensive line is an intriguing idea. And that may be putting it too mildly.

During his introductory press conference on Thursday, via Ben Raven of MLive, Montgomery talked about running behind the best offensive line he has ever had.

"Yeah, you salivate a little bit,” Montgomery said. “You get three Pro-Bowlers in an O-line, and them having high expectations for themselves and me having high expectations for myself, it’ll be really good."

David Montgomery excited to be part of what’s next for the Detroit Lions

Speaking on a wider level about signing with the Lions, Montgomery is excited to be part of the new era in Detroit. He even referred to the change in dynamic from when he started his career with the Bears in 2019 to now.

"I would be honest, when I was playing with Chicago my first two years, I had the Lions circled on the schedule,” Montgomery said. “Like, ‘let’s go have fun that game.’ Playing those guys last year? I think I’m sure they had us circled.”"

And obviusly, in a more direct sense, Montgomery is excited to part of what the Lions are building.

"I’m excited about it,” Montgomery said. “Just having a short conversation with those guys and understanding that they building something special here. And I’m able to be part of it, so I’m ready to roll."

Montgomery is a better culture fit for the Lions than many realize, and his talent could unlock another level for what was already one of the best offenses in the NFL last season. The sentiment of being excited to be on a new team is easy to dismiss as obvious, but the Lions and their new running back have every reason to be excited about each other.