A noted lack of usage late last season put a divorce on the table, and the Detroit Lions honored David Montgomery's desire to be elsewhere by trading him to the Houston Texans in March. With plans to make Jahmyr Gibbs the lead back, and pay him as such, it was lined up to be a mutually beneficial move.
Isiah Pacheco was signed to replace Montgomery, but durability concerns of recent years have continued and he's on IR to open the season. That has cast the No. 2 spot on the running back depth chart into some doubt, with head coach Dan Campbell suggesting Jacob Saykors and Sione Vaki would split the role in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints (or beyond).
Gibbs started his first "bell cow" season in an expected fashion, with 186 total yards (156 rushing) on 34 touches with two rushing scores. But he actually ceded more snaps to his backups, in this case Vaki alone for reasons that aren't clear, than you'd think, playing 57 of the Lions' 77 offensive snaps (74 percent) according to Pro Football Focus' initial data.
That could just be a Week 1 thing, like the San Francisco 49ers did with Christian McCaffrey, with Gibbs taking a higher snap share moving forward.
As it turned out, according to PFF, Vaki played 22 offensive snaps to Saylor's zero on Sunday against the Saints. And while Vaki did have 18 yards from scrimmage on three touches, including an 11-yard reception. he otherwise struggled and generally looked uncomfortable.
Vaki essentially blocked left tackle Penei Sewell on a play that could've been a defensive touchdown for the Saints, but it was ruled that Jared Goff's arm was moving forward, so it was an incomplete pass rather than a fumble.
David Montgomery immediately made the Lions miss him in Week 1
Meanwhile, in Houston playing against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Montgomery had a nice Texans' debut. While his yardage output wasn't outstanding, 79 yards yards from scrimmage as he averaged an even and less than robust three yards per carry, he got the type of touch volume the Lions could no longer offer (23). He also had not one, not two but three total touchdowns--two rushing and one receiving.
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Montgomery was simply no longer a fit for the Lions' plans, as a stated desire to get him more work last season never came to fruition. And Pacheco, if healthy, does seem to be an ideal replacement.
But it only took Pacheco being injured, with the last couple seasons to create the need for some sort of contingency ideas, and one game for Montgomery, to invite real questions about the Lions' plan behind Gibbs.
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