The Detroit Lions‘ duo of Sonic and Knuckles is no more, and now the Lions should be in the market for a backup running back.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Lions are trading veteran running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans.
The deal will see the Texans send the Lions back fourth- and seventh-round picks and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, which is a fantastic haul for Detroit.
The problem now is the Lions need to replace Montgomery, who took a lot of the load off Jahmyr Gibbs’ plate in recent years.
It just so happens that two of the Lions’ division rivals recently parted ways with running backs who would be good fits in Detroit.
Those two running backs are Aaron Jones and Emanuel Wilson. Jones is going to be released by the Minnesota Vikings, according to reports, and the Green Bay Packers are reportedly not going to tender Wilson, making him a free agent.
At 31 years old, Jones is on the back-nine of his career, but he has showed he’s still got gas left in the tank the past two seasons. Jones tallied over 1,500 yards from scrimmage in 2024, and then over 700 in 12 games in 2025.
Jones is still a good runner, a solid pass-catcher and a great leader and would be a fantastic RB2 option behind Gibbs.
Wilson is a different kind of back than Jones, but he would fit the Montgomery role perfectly.
Like Montgomery, Wilson is a power runner who can handle the dirty work between the tackles and at the goal line. He doesn’t offer much as a pass-catcher, but he’d give Detroit a tough change-of-pace option alongside the electric Gibbs.
Seeing as how Detroit only needs a backup, price is going to matter here. But neither Jones nor Wilson figure to be expensive in free agency.
