Pre-Season Outlook

Montgomery's 2023 season was a triumphant breakout performance and a clear demonstration of how Montgomery is one of the NFL's better power runners, producing 13 touchdowns on just 219 carries and maintaining a healthy rushing average (4.6 YPC) despite taking the toughest, most thankless carries in the Detroit offense. For every play that the Lions try to unleash fellow running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the open field there's another play where they send Montgomery straight into the teeth of the defense, even when the Lions know the defense expects it. Montgomery's ability to run those tone-setting power concepts is crucial not just to the identity of the Lions offense but also the entire theory of how its spacing and rhythm is supposed to work. Montgomery tenderizes the defense and forces them to settle into their run-defending mode to set up the playaction-heavy passing game that has revived Jared Goff's career. The threat of Montgomery is part of what clears the space for Goff, so the Lions will continue feeding Montgomery on power concepts despite the otherwise immense impressiveness of Gibbs. It's important to remember that the Lions targeted Montgomery and Gibbs to work in tandem specifically - Gibbs can be the better player and there can still be room afterward for Montgomery to be a solid RB2 type in most fantasy formats. More concerning than Gibbs' presence is the possibility that the Lions might need to replace two Pro Bowl interior linemen with center Frank Ragnow uncertain for injury reasons and guard Jonah Jackson gone in free agency.