Lions RB coach Scottie Montgomery to participate in NFL’s coach accelerator program

On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that Detroit Lions assistant head coach/running backs coach Scottie Montgomery would be one of 40 participants in the 2023 NFL Coach Accelerator program. The event will take place during the spring league meeting next week (May 21-23).

This is the second year of this program, which aims to “increase exposure between owners, executives, and diverse coaching talent, providing ample opportunity to develop and build upon their relationships,” per the NFL’s press release. Last year, the Lions sent both defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and assistant general manager Ray Agnew to the event.

Montgomery already has a solid reputation across the NFL. In 2022, he interviewed for three different offensive coordinator positions: the Lions, the Saints, and he was a finalist for the Panthers offensive coordinator gig. Even after taking the job for his current role with the Lions back in February, Montgomery then interviewed for the Buccaneers offensive coordinator job.

Throughout his coaching career, Montgomery has held several roles, including offensive coordinator at Maryland and head coach with East Carolina. Lions coach Dan Campbell noted how excited they were to hire Montgomery after losing Duce Staley this offseason.

“I think he’s going to be an outstanding teacher,” Campbell said at the NFL Combine. I think he’s got a lot of versatility. He’s coached the receivers, he’s coached running backs, he’s been a head coach, he’s been a coordinator, he’s worked with quarterbacks. So I just think this is a talented coach, man, that’s got a lot of wisdom. He’s a motivator (with) energy. So we’re happy to have him.”

Now Montgomery will be able to continue to expand his network and increase his visibility come the next coaching hire cycle.