A Denver Broncos Trade for David Montgomery Makes Sense if He's Available

Update: The Texans just traded for Montgomery.

Update: Ben Allbright says the Broncos tried to jump in and get Montgomery before the Texans sealed the deal.

Original post:

Per a report, David Montgomery is on the trading block for a mere Day 3 draft pick. If so, the Denver Broncos should trade for the veteran beast of a running back.

Denver needs a new back ahead of RJ Harvey, Montgomery would compliment Harvey well, and the price tag is tiny for a proven veteran.

Report: David Montgomery is Available for a Day 3 Draft Pick

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, not only does Montgomery want out of Detroit, but the Lions only want a draft pick from Rounds 4-7 for him.

"And at running back, the Lions' David Montgomery wants out, has a reasonable contract (owed $6 million in 2026) and is 28. That has value," Fowler explained. "Word out of Indy is that Detroit would want a decent Day 3 pick (possibly a fifth-rounder) in return. Seattle makes sense here if it can't re-sign Kenneth Walker III."

A fifth-round pick for Montgomery seems like a complete steal.

It's a deal the Denver Broncos need to pursue, if true. Which, if Fowler heard the rumor at the NFL Combine, so did George Paton and Sean Payton of the Broncos.

In terms of "wanting out of Detroit" that part may not be accurate. As Montgomery went to Twitter to negate the report.

Whether or not he wants out, if the Lions want to deal him, they can.

A Denver Broncos Trade for David Montgomery Makes a Ton of Sense

He's been a great thunder to Jahmyr Gibbs' lightning for the last three seasons in Detroit. But lately, Gibbs has really taken over the position.

Montgomery was the starter in 2023 when he came over from the team who drafted him in the Chicago Bears.

In 2023, he enjoyed a career year: 1,015 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, on a 4.6 yard per carry average, plus another 117 yards through the air.

And even though he was still the starter in 2024, his numbers dipped to 775 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, and fell to 716 yards and 8 TDs last year.

Even though Gibbs has been the more explosive back, Montgomery was relied upon to carry the ball over the goal line a lot. But last year, Gibbs' amazing abilities were allowed to take center stage.

Montgomery is closing in on 29 years old, and this season will be his eighth in the NFL. But he's still a productive bruiser who averaged 4.5 yards per carry last year and could help propel the Broncos offense to the next level.

According to Pro Football Focus, his 75.3 overall grade was 20th-best among running backs, and his 78.4 receiving grade was 7th-best. What sticks out is the fact that he had the 31st-most carries, and still scored 8 times, which was 12th among all backs.

Simply, Montgomery has a nose for the goal line and always has.

Montgomery would fit well with Harvey

Some Broncos fans were annoyed with Harvey's rookie season because the speedy back didn't run well between the tackles.

That's where Montgomery comes into play.

He carried the ball between the tackles 60% of the time, and 69% of his yards (497) came on inside runs. Similarly, 63% of his touchdowns came between the tackles.

Montgomery's bigger body—5'11" and 230 pounds—suits him well to bruise on inside runs, while Harvey's smaller frame (5'8", 205) works best in space.

The bonus is, while Harvey is a great receiving back, Montgomery is no slouch when it comes to catching the football out of the backfield either.

When it comes to his contract, that's approachable too.

Montgomery is set to be an $8.3 million cap hit in 2026, and only $10.2M in 2027.

The higher-end guys like Breece Hall—who will be re-signed or franchise tagged by the Jets—and Kenneth Walker are expected to bring in anywhere from $10-15M this year.

Meanwhile, Rachaad White is valued at $6M and Tyler Allgeier is at $2.6M per Over the Cap.

I explored those guys, plus a few others, in this free agency target piece.

Denver Broncos Free Agent Running Back Targets: Breece Hall, Rachaad White, More

This offseason, there will be lots of Denver Broncos free agent running back targets. This ranking lists the top-4 with some honorable mentions.

Broncos BlitzRich Kurtzman

But that piece didn't include Montgomery, because he wasn't on the trading block yet.

I'd put Montgomery ahead of even White at this point.

Denver has eight draft picks in 2026. And because of trades of Javonte Williams and Riley Dixon, they may end up with 10 total 2026 draft picks. They are:

• Round 1: Own pick (30th overall)
• Round 2: Own pick
• Round 3: Own pick
• Round 4: Saints pick (Devaughn Vele trade)
• Round 4: Own pick
• Round 5: Own pick
• Round 7: Own pick
• Round 7: Projected comp pick (Javonte Williams)
• Round 7: Projected comp pick (Riley Dixon)

So, they have that fifth-round pick if that's what the Lions are after, or could offer the Saints fourth if need be.

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Looking around the AFC West and what each team’s GMs and coaches are saying about free agency starting soon. The Broncos have “musts” at running back, linebacker.

Broncos BlitzRich Kurtzman

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Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.

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