David Montgomery has officially been traded. The disgruntled, fan-favorite running back has been shipped off to the Houston Texans in exchange for a decent draft package, in addition to some added depth on the Lions' O-line by way of Juice Scruggs.
This opens the door wide open for the Detroit Lions and Brad Holmes to take a running back in this year's draft, and to peruse the free agency market for a low-cost RB2 option to place behind Jahmyr Gibbs for 2026. However, the Lions also have a running back on their roster that probably just saw his stock experience a huge boost thanks to this trade: Sione Vaki.
Vaki, a former fourth-round pick by the Lions, hasn't really gotten a chance to cement a role in their starting rotation on offense. Between health issues and there simply being no role for him behind Gibbs thanks to Montgomery, Vaki has been an afterthought for fans who probably never expected him to take on a starting job. But, with this trade, that's certainly on the table for Vaki.
Vaki just got a golden opportunity at RB2 thanks to Montgomery trade
Vaki only played in 11 games last season, picking up just one carry for four yards. In his rookie season, he had some decent moments with the Lions' special teams unit, and was seen as a rising young talent for Detroit on the margins. But, with injuries hitting him hard in 2025, he didn't get a chance to capitalize on that momentum.
Now, Vaki has an opportunity to compete for the backup job behind Gibbs, and he'd be a lot more comfortable in that role than Montgomery clearly was given that he was a RB1 talent sitting behind a younger (but better) player.
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Vaki is a decent receiving RB, which adds some dimensionality to new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's playbook for 2026. Additionally, he's already familiar with the team and Gibbs, and that's a huge plus over taking, for example, a rookie running back with no NFL experience to throw onto a contending roster in a pretty big role.
Vaki has to shine this offseason and in training camp, because this could be one of his last opportunities to land a consistent role with Detroit. If not, he could became a cap casualty.