The Houston Texans got ahead of free agency and the 2026 roster, swinging a trade with the Detroit Lions for David Montgomery to bolster their roster at running back.
Montgomery joins Jawhar Jordan, Joe Mixon, and Woody Marks on the Texans. That combination is expected to change even more, but Montgomery’s role is of the utmost importance for Houston in 2026.
To that end, one of his former teammates may have offered the most telling insight.
Texans’ David Montgomery Gets Telling Reaction From Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown
GettyDavid Montgomery #5 of the Detroit Lions warms up before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Lions star Amon-Ra St. Brown hosts a podcast with his brother, fellow NFL wideout Equanimeous St. Brown, and he spoke candidly about Montgomery’s trade to the Texans, saying, “I love DMoe.”
Montgomery was one of his “favorite teammates” who was “always all bout the team.”
St. Brown said that “selfishly,” he was “sick” about the move. His most telling comments, though, were regarding what he expects Montgomery’s role will be in Houston.
“He’s a RB1 on 31 other teams. So–he’s damn near RB1 for us. But it’s like you got two guys, two really good running backs. Only one running back can play, which kind of sucks,” St. Brown said on “The St. Brown Bros. Podcast” on March 4.
“But also, I’m really happy for DMoe, because I know how much he wanted to have a bigger role on a on an offense, and i think he’s going to get that in Houston. They got a crazy defense, they got receivers, they got a good quarterback–they got a good team. So, I think he’s going to a good team, where he’s going to be able to be the primary back, and I think he’s going to make a lot of noise.”
St. Brown drove his point home, referencing Montgomery’s fantasy football relevance.
“People were telling me yesterday, ‘Hey, man. I’m sorry to hear about the news.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, man. It sucks,’” St. Brown said. “But I told everyone, ‘I’m happy for DMoe.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, man. I had him on my fantasy team.’ I told them, ‘You better keep him, because he’s about to go even crazier.’ So, yeah. I’m upset, but I’m happy for him. I love DMoe.”
David Montgomery Sent Parting Message to Lions Teammates
GettyDavid Montgomery #5 of the Detroit Lions reacts against the Dallas Cowboys.
St. Brown said that he found out about Montgomery’s trade to the Texans like most did: via the initial report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on X.
“I said, ‘No way.’ So, I texted him right away. I said, ‘I love you, bro.’ That’s what I said. I said, ‘I love you. I’m excited for you,’ and I said, ‘I’m going to call you later,” St. Brown said, adding that he then checked the Lions RB group chat and saw Montgomery’s parting words.
“He texted the group chat. He said, ‘It was a pleasure playing with you boys.’ And then, we all just reacted. We all just sent sad emojis and stuff. But yeah, he reached out to us. This was before he even tweeted. I checked the time stamp. I was like, ‘Wait, hold on. S*** adding up.’ But no, he let us know before everyone else even knew.”
St. Brown called Montgomery “one of the funniest guys on the team.”
He cited stories that he would not divulge, and also said he reached out to Montgomery–who was “probably really busy”–to no avail.
“I’m waiting for a call back. Or I’ll just call him again. I’ll keep blowing his phone up until he answers,” St. Brown said. “I love Demo. He sat next to me every day. We sat next to each other in the team meeting room.”
It would seem that the Texans’ trade landed a really good player and an even better person.
David Montgomery Wanted to Join Houston
GettyDavid Montgomery #5 of the Detroit Lions celebrates a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks.
Montgomery rushed for 716 yards and 8 touchdowns during the 2025 regular season. He has two 1,000-yard campaigns in his career, and three more with 800-plus rushing yards. The former Chicago Bears third-round pick has five seasons with more than 200 carries.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Houston was Montgomery’s preferred destination.
Montgomery is expected to sign an extension with the Texans. He is in the final year of a two-year, $18.2 million contract.
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