During the offseason, somewhat rooted in John Morton coming in as offensive coordinator, a shift of the workload in the Detroit Lions' backfield seemed to be coming. No matter who has been calling plays, Morton or head coach Dan Campbell, that has come to fruition and stayed that way.
Not too far before taking over play calling, Campbell called for David Montgomery to get more work alongside Jahmyr Gibbs. Coincidentally or not, Montgomery had 39 carries over the next three games. Over the last five games, he has 32 carries.
Gibbs' role in the Lions' offense, especially with tight end Sam LaPorta out, means he is not going to come off the field very much. But there should more room for Montgomery to contribute, and he has played just 37 offensive snaps over the last two games.
Columnist offers an idea Lions fans will automatically hate
Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press was on site at SoFi Stadium for the Lions' Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He apparently approached Montgomery in the postgame locker room, and as expected under the circumstances the Lions' running back wasn't in the mood to talk.
In the first half of the game against the Rams, Montgomery had six carries for 31 yards. He had one carry the rest of the way, via a direct snap in the Wildcat, on which he scored a one-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
A positive game script for the Lions typically drives the most work for Montgomery. Trailing the Rams by two scores for much of the last quarter-plus in Week 15, the snap share tilted toward Gibbs with little apparent idea to have Montgomery on the field a bit too.
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Monarrez occupies a space of constant criticism from Detroit sports fans, as evidenced by the comments on Twitter/X to his latest piece that focused on Montgomery.
After outlining Montgomery's 2025 season and pointing to him turning 29 nextJune, Monarrez offered an idea that will fuel ire from Lions' fans.
"This is why the answer is clear for the Lions and Montgomery: He needs to be traded this offseason – for their good and for his."
"Let’s be clear. This isn’t an indictment of Montgomery’s potential. It’s actually the opposite. It looks like he still has plenty in the tank to help a team that needs a power back able to handle a bulk of the load."
It wouldn't be completely ideal from a cap savings and dead money perspective, but the idea the Lions could trade Montgomery in the offseason is not outlandish.
A reduced role this season (and moving forward?), nearing the end of a running back's peak years, and future money allocation push Montgomery's offseason departure toward possible. And regardless of who offers it up as possible, or how much Lions' fans will hate it, there's a chance it happens.