As he put a bow on a disappointing 2025 season, Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes was directly asked if he thought running back David Montgomery would be back next season. Montgomery seemed to express frustration with his lack of usage, which has fueled trade speculation.
Holmes' pointed answer suggested discussions would be had with the veteran running back, and to some degree the ball would be in Montgomery's court if he wanted to be elsewhere. To what extent those conversations have happened is unclear, but Montgomery didn't talk like someone who wanted to be traded on Radio Row at Super Bowl LX.
In recent conversation with Pride of Detroit, new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing couldn't speak comfortably about Montgomery's future with the Lions. But he did have good things to say, and spoke like the return of "Sonic and Knuckles" is coming next season.
"I obviously watched him play in this offense for a number of years and think he brings a lot to the table,” Petzing said. “A lot like (Jahmyr) Gibbs, he’s a dynamic back who can affect the game with the ball in his hands. He’s really a three-down back. There’s not a lot you’re going to look at him and say, ‘He can’t do this’ or ‘He can’t do that.’ So that’s all I said. I said, ‘Hey, I’m excited to work with you. I can’t wait to get you into the building,’ and that’s where I’m going to leave it.”
To be fair, Holmes' comments about Montgomery's future with the Lions will stand as the most candid words we hear until something does or doesn't happen this offseason. Montgomery's not going to publicly say he wants to be traded, or affirm he has asked to be traded.
When it comes down to it, as he more or less said to Pride of Detroit, it's a little above Petzing's paygrade to make any substantive comments on the topic.
But let's walk down a path where Montgomery has asked to be traded, and the Holmes is able to honor that wish. A pivot will be lined up, just as Montgomery was lined up as the pivot three years ago when contract talks with Jamaal Williams weren't going well.
If Montgomery is traded, here are five free agent running backs who could be on the Lions' radar to fill his role alongside Jahmyr Gibbs.
5 free agent running backs the Lions could pivot to if they trade David Montgomery
5. Zonovan "Bam" Knight
Knight was an interesting late-preseason addition by the Lions back in 2023 after he was waived by the New York Jets, but he unsurprisingly didn't play a lot before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the rest of that season.
After spending the entire 2024 season back with the Jets on their practice squad, Knight landed with the Arizona Cardinals and he was thrust into a significant role when injuries depleted their running back depth chart.
Over the eight games he had that noticeable role, before a Week 15 ankle injury sidelined him for the season, Knight averaged 50.9 yards from scrimmage per game with 21 receptions and four total touchdowns. While those numbers obviously don't jump off the page, that he did in Petzing's Arizona offense drives the fit as a potential Montgomery replacement.
Knight is a restricted free agent, but if the Cardinals don't tender him by the start of the new league year he would become an unrestricted free agent. Maybe Petzing offers a vote for a guy he just had in Arizona if Montgomery needs to be replaced.
4. Nick Chubb
After significant injuries impacted his last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, Chubb spent last season with the Houston Texans in a backup role (122 carries for 506 yards and three touchdowns over 15 games). He was reasonably effective at times, but he is clearly not the back he was at his peak in Cleveland.
Of course that time with the Browns provides a tie to Petzing, who was on the coaching staff there from 2020-2022. If a Montgomery replacement is needed, a cheap one-year pact with Chubb could be a nice fit.
READ MORE: Drew Petzing is about to zero in on this one obvious target at NFL combine
3. Najee Harris
Harris' 2025 season with the Los Angeles Chargers never got going, as a torn Achilles in Week 3 cost him the rest of the campaign. Before that, a mysterioius eye injury due to a July 4 fireworks accident derailed his training camp preparation.
Teams who are interested in signing Harris will surely be checking on his progress from that Achilles tear. But since it occurred so early last season, there shouldn't be much issue in terms of him being ready for Week 1 in September.
Harris topped 1,000 yards on the ground in each of his four NFL seasons, all with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also the fourth-most yards after contact over that span according to Pro Football Focus, while offering a little something in the passing game.
Harris might be able to find a team that's willing to give him a bigger role than the Lions can. But if that idea doesn't come to fruition, Detroit looks like a nice spot to re-establish his value if there's a need for someone to share the backfield with Gibbs.
2. Kareem Hunt
Hunt is a shell of the running back that led the league in rushing as a rookie back in 2017. He'll get what's blocked, and not a whole lot more, at this stage of his career.
That said, Hunt tied for the sixth-best success rate among qualified running backs last season (57.1 percent), and he has 24 rushing touchdowns over the last three seasons. 21 of those rushing scores over the last three seasons have been from five yards out or less.
His usage as a pass catcher has become minimal, but he has averaged 7.8 yards per catch over the last two seasons. For a comparison there, Gibbs averaged 8.0 yards per catch last season.
Hunt looks like a nice fit for the Montgomery role in the Lions' backfield if it has to be filled by someone else.
1. Brian Robinson
The San Francisco 49ers acquired Robinson from the Washington Commanders just before the 2025 season started. to fortify their nsurance against a Christian McCaffrey injury. He proceeded to be hardly used, as McCaffrey stayed healthy and rarely came off the field, with just 92 carries and 190 offensive snaps during the regular season.
On the positive side for him, Robinson is hitting free agency with very fresh legs. He has also not topped 200 carries in a season since his rookie year with the Commanders, so the tread on his tires is not necessarily typical for a soon-to-be 27-year old back. Over his last two seasons in Washington, he showed some sneaky chops as a pass catcher (56 total receptions; 9.4 yards per catch).
Robinson shaping up to become a journeyman type who plays something like 10 seasons for five or six teams. It also feels like he hasn't quite been ideally utilized through four seasons. The latter point could've been said about Montgomery before he arrived in Detroit, and the Lions could try to replicate that on a smaller scale here if they have to find a new No. 2 running back.