Lions RB David Montgomery is ‘one of the more well-rounded running backs in the league’

One of the more surprising moves the Detroit Lions made in free agency was signing running back David Montgomery. As Lions general manager Brad Holmes explained this week, the initial intention was to always bring back Jamaal Williams and they had even set aside a certain amount of funds to make sure he was re-signed.

But the business part of the sport got in the way, and when it became clear Williams’ camp wasn’t seeing eye-to-eye with the team in negotiations, the Lions shifted strategies and quickly moved. Because they didn’t want to miss out on their opportunity, the Lions agreed to terms—a three-year deal worth $18 million with $11 million in guarantees—with Montgomery on Wednesday of the opening week of free agency.

After the initial shock wore off, many Lions fans immediately got on board with the signing. Montgomery is not only two years younger than Williams, but he comes with four years of starting experience and a pedigree of breaking tackles at an elite rate.

So to gauge how much of an upgrade the Lions are getting, along with what kind of person they’re getting in Montgomery, we chatted with our old friend and Chicago Bears fan Robert Zeglinski of USA Today’s For The Win.

When asked what is Montgomery’s play style, Zeglinski was very complimentary of the Lions' back.

“I think David Montgomery, while he’s not like a superstar tailback, he’s definitely one of the more well-rounded running backs in the league,” Zeglinski said. “He’s going to do everything the Lions want at a very high level.”

We tackle that and a lot more in our 20-minute chat with Zeglinski, so here’s a rundown of the show:

• Why didn’t the Bears re-sign Montgomery? (2:30)
• What kind of personality can we expect from him? (4:30)
• What makes him so proficient at breaking tackles? (7:45)
• Is he a four-down back? (8:45)
• Does he have enough left in the tank to be a lead back? (9:10)
• Is Montgomery’s dancing in the backfield a big problem? (10:45)
• Did Montgomery have to overcompensate for a bad offensive line and predictable offense? (13:00)
• Happier with how the Bears approached running back or should they have brought back Montgomery? (15:00)
• David Montgomery’s best career plays in Chicago (16:00)
• Zeglinski grades the Lions’ signing of Montgomery (17:15)

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