One of the more puzzling developments involving this Detroit Lions’ offense this season has been David Montgomery’s lack of usage. This season, the veteran running back has seen his numbers drop considerably across the board.
Through 14 games, Montgomery is only averaging 45.4 rushing yards per game, despite getting 4.7 yards per carry (best of his career). In addition to his lack of work in the rushing game, he’s also averaging 11.7 receiving yards per game (third-lowest of his career).
Lions fans know this offense is clicking on all cylinders when Sonic and Knuckles, aka Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, are handling their business and getting a fair amount of playing time.
In Sunday’s 41-34 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Montgomery had 32 yards and a TD on seven carries, while playing 18 offensive snaps (second-fewest this season). Meanwhile, Gibbs put up one of his worst performances on the ground (38 yards on 13 carries), despite playing a season’s best 52 offensive snaps.
Following the loss, Montgomery posted a cryptic message on Instagram (h/t The Detroit Times), which said “Stay the course 5.” As you can imagine, Lions fans don’t blame Montgomery for feeling the way that he does, as they want him on the field more.
Lions Toying with David Montgomery Could Ultimately Backfire on Detroit
However, the Lions feel otherwise, despite head coach Dan Campbell saying multiple times that they need to get Montgomery more involved.
But for some reason, that has not happened, and if you’re Montgomery, you might have to ask yourself if it's worth sticking around if the Lions continue to play these games. Detroit signed the veteran running back to a nice two-year, $18.25 million extension last season, keeping him in the Motor City after the 2027 season.
When you give a player that type of money and commitment, the plan should be to use him, even if you have an electrifying playmaker in Gibbs. In fact, Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News pointed out how Montgomery is having better success on the ground than Gibbs in the Lions’ last three games, despite the former not getting many carries.
Montgomery is averaging 5.9 yards per carry, which is tremendous, while Gibbs is only getting 3.3 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Al Karsten of Pride of Detroit highlighted how Montgomery is ranked third in rushing success rate (66.7%) between Weeks 13-15. However, Gibbs is ranked 50th at 26.7%.
Just that alone should spark the Lions’ coaching staff's interest in getting the veteran running back more touches. If there’s a saving grace for Detroit, it's that they still have time to utilize Montgomery down the stretch to capture a playoff spot.
With pivotal games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears, this is the perfect time to utilize both guys on the ground to help open up your passing game.
Sadly, it's hard to trust that they’ll do that, as Montgomery hasn’t had a game with double-digit carries since Week 10 (15 vs. Washington). And if you remember, that game was a 22-point blowout in favor of the Lions.
Needless to say, if there’s no change soon, Montgomery might not want to stay the course and instead could force Detroit’s hands to send him elsewhere in 2026.