For years, the Detroit Lions had the deadliest one-two running back tandem in all of pro football. David Montgomery wore defenses out with his physicality, and then Jahmyr Gibbs made the most of their tired legs with his craftiness, speed, and ability to change directions.
Last season, however, things changed. Montgomery took a back seat and became less of a factor as the year went on. He didn't care for that diminished role, and the Lions traded him to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
That's why, given how things ended between him and the organization, Montgomery may not appreciate general manager Brad Holmes' comments about new RB Isiah Pacheco, who was signed when free agency opened. Talking to the Lions Collective, Holmes had nothing but praise for the former Super Bowl champion.
"Just the way he runs, man. He runs with urgency; he runs with toughness. Every time I've watched him, when we've played him in the past, we've been so much of a fan of just the juice that he brings," Holmes said. "He was another one that we're kind of looking at, and it's like, 'Would love to have him, but not sure if we're going to be able to make this work.'"
Brad Holmes' Instant Isiah Pacheco Praise Could Sting David Montgomery
Pacheco hasn't been the same explosive and angry-running playmaker for the past couple of years, which is why Holmes' immediate praise might leave Montgomery feeling green with envy. The former Chiefs RB finished the campaign with just 462 rushing yards and one touchdown on 118 carries, averaging 3.9 yards per attempt. He also had 19 catches for 101 yards and another score.
Meanwhile, Montgomery's numbers in a down year were noticeably better. He had 716 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 158 attempts (4.5 YPC), adding 24 catches for 192 yards. He has every right to feel slighted and mistreated, especially after these comments.
Of course, it's not like Holmes is going to bash his new signing. In fact, he continued his praise of Pacheco by stating that he chose the Lions despite having multiple options to choose from.
"From what I've heard, he probably had some other situations that may have been a little bit more favorable, but he wanted to be here. And so him wanting to be here and he knows exactly what kind of situation he's going to be coming into, that was huge [for us]. So we're all on board, we were high-fiving."Brad Holmes, Lions GM
The fact that Pacheco's signing was a high-five-able situation further illustrates why Montgomery would be jealous. The former Lions rusher clearly wasn't feeling valued enough to stay in the Motor City, and now he's being forced to watch his ex-boss celebrate his replacement's arrival as if it were the return of Barry Sanders.
Barring a late-offseason addition, Montgomery will have a chance to be 'the guy' in Houston. DeMeco Ryans' team bolstered the interior of the offensive line with Pro-Bowler Wyatt Teller, so the table is set for him to make the Lions regret this decision.
At the same time, the Lions clearly feel confident about their RB room's outlook with Gibbs and Pacheco leading the charge. If the latter ends up becoming the Knuckles 2.0 to the former' Sonic, Montgomery could have even more reasons to be jealous sooner rather than later.