Texans pay a significant price via trade to land an exciting player to try and take some of the pressure off CJ Stroud
Texans send a haul to land a major upgrade to their run game ahead of the 2026 season.
The Houston Texans’ season ended in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs after CJ Stroud and the offense let down the team’s historical defense.
The offense was out of sorts and downright bad in both of the team’s playoff games, and it caught up to them against the eventual AFC champion New England Patriots. It was clear to everyone that Houston needed to improve on that side of the ball this offseason.
Well, their first move to do just that was announced on Monday, with the team sending a significant trade package in order to land an exciting offensive skill player.
Texans trade for Lions RB David Montgomery
The Texans are trading for Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery, and he didn’t come cheap, folks. Houston is sending center Juice Scruggs, who started in 20 games over his three years with the Texans, along with a fourth-round pick in 2026 and a seventh in 2027 for Montgomery.
Scruggs is the second offensive lineman traded away by the Texans today, with the team also reportedly trading tackle Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns earlier this morning. The team must have a plan to improve the group later in the offseason, but for now, they focused on trying to give Stroud a stable run game next year.
The absence of Joe Mixon loomed large in 2025, and his status with the team still looked up in the air as of late. Now it seems pretty clear that the team is planning on going forward with Montgomery as the team’s starting RB.
Montgomery has spent the last three years with the Lions, appearing in 45 games and rushing for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns. He averaged over four yards per carry in each of his three years in Detroit and has been one half of an incredible duo with Jahmyr Gibbs. Now he will get the chance to lead his own backfield in Houston.
The last time we saw Stroud, he played some of his worst football in the NFL. The Texans are hoping an improved rushing attack will not only help improve the run game but also take some of the pressure off Stroud and the passing game.
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