David Montgomery’s first season with the Houston Texans has taken a difficult turn after an impressive debut.
The former Detroit Lions running back opened his Texans career with a three-touchdown performance against the Buffalo Bills, finishing with 79 total yards on 23 touches. Since then, however, his production has dropped significantly.
Montgomery followed that debut with just 10 rushing yards on six carries, then managed 33 yards on 11 carries the following week. In Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys, he rushed 10 times for only 24 yards.
That 24-yard performance still led Houston in rushing, but fourth-round pick Woody Marks was more efficient, scoring a touchdown while averaging more yards per carry. With Montgomery struggling, the competition for the Texans’ backfield could become increasingly interesting.
Montgomery never averaged below 4.2 yards per carry during his three seasons with Detroit. Through four games in Houston, though, he has struggled to find the same consistency.
The situation also highlights what Detroit has lost.
The Lions brought in Isiah Pacheco to help fill the role Montgomery left behind, but his injury has kept him on injured reserve. That has left Sione Vaki as the primary backup behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
Gibbs has continued to carry a major workload, making Montgomery’s absence more noticeable as the season progresses.
For Montgomery, there is still plenty of time to turn things around in Houston. But after such a promising debut, his recent struggles are becoming difficult to ignore.
