Broncos reportedly tried to outbid Texans in David Montgomery trade originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Detroit Lions made the first major trade of the 2026 offseason on Monday, sending veteran running back David Montgomery to the Houston Texans. However, the Denver Broncos may have tried to sneak in and steal him.
Adam Schefter of ESPN initially reported that the Texans were able to acquire Montgomery for just a fifth-round pick. That quickly changed, however. Suddenly, the Texans were sending a fourth and seventh-round pick to the Lions as well as offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.
TRADE: Lions trading RB David Montgomery to Texans in exchange for a fourth-round pick, a seventh-round pick and OL Juice Scruggs. (via @RapSheet, @TomPelissero, @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/gcqGmh6eMY
— NFL (@NFL) March 2, 2026
So, what changed?
According to Benjamin Allbright of KOA 850, the Broncos were looking to outbid the Texans’ initial offer.
Confirmed. Someone tried to jump in on Houston after original trade was a 5th rounder + https://t.co/sf02kVFd5Y
— Troy_OTC (@TexansCap) March 2, 2026
The Broncos may have called Detroit and offered a fourth-round pick. That then led to the Lions contacting the Texans’ front office and Houston then came up with a deal that the Broncos weren’t willing to go higher than.
The Texans overpaid for Montgomery, who will turn 29 years old in June. Had the Broncos been willing to try and match the Texans’ improved offer, it may have looked something like this:
Broncos receive: RB David Montgomery
Lions receive: 2026 fourth-round pick, 2027 seventh-round pick, OL Alex Forsyth
The Broncos were right to call the dogs off at that point and let him go to Houston, particularly when you consider the variety of solid options that will be available at running back on the free-agent market.
Trading for Montgomery would have been a great move for the Broncos, however. He would provide the tough, hard-nosed runner that the team is looking for while also having the ability to bring J.K. Dobbins back and give the Broncos a talented three-headed monster at the running back position.
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It’s easy to see what the Broncos were trying to do, but the price for doing so went way too high.
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