Who will replace David Montgomery after a knee injury?

The Detroit Lions will miss running back David Montgomery for the remainder of the season after he injured ligaments in his right knee during Sunday’s 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field.

Head coach Dan Campbell said Monday that Montgomery will undergo season-ending surgery after suffering a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury in the second quarter. He eventually limped off after staying in to block a fourth-down conversion on Detroit’s second touchdown drive.

Montgomery came back and had five touches of the ball in the second half, but especially stood up for his running back colleague Jahmyr Gibbs. Craig Reynolds and Sione Vaki are next on the depth chart.

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Here’s more on who will replace Montgomery for Lions fans and fantasy football managers alike:

Lions RBs: Who will replace David Montgomery?

Jahmyr Gibbs will be the next man up in place of Montgomery. He becomes the standout running back of the offense, as he did in the second half against Buffalo. Gibbs, the No. 12 overall pick in 2023 out of Alabama, was on the field for 59 of Detroit’s 79 offensive snaps (75%), with the percentage higher in the second half. He finished the game with eight rushes for 31 yards, five catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

Gibbs has regularly shared time with Montgomery since both joined the Lions in the 2023 offseason. Gibbs leads the team with 1,047 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns this season and has added 395 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver. On Sunday, he scored two goals in the fourth quarter.

Together, Gibbs and Montgomery formed one of the strongest running back duos in modern NFL history and were nicknamed “Sonic and Knuckles” in the video game. The two shared a relatively equal workload (185 runs for Montgomery, 186 for Gibbs) as runners for an offense that ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing (143.7 rushing yards per game), despite posting a season-low 48 yards rushing Sunday. Montgomery had just 4 yards on five carries.

In 29 regular-season games and three playoff games, Gibbs tallied 2,941 yards (2,136 rushing and 805 receiving), making him an explosive pop in an offense that led the league this season (32.8).

Behind Gibbs, the Lions will rely on running backs Craig Reynolds and newbie Sione Vaki.

Reynolds, 28, is 5-foot-11, 216 pounds and a six-year NFL veteran who joined the Lions in 2021. He has 12 carries for 51 yards in 2024, mostly in garbage time, and 562 yards on 131 carries in four years as a Lion.

In 2023, he filled in behind Gibbs when Montgomery was out against Las Vegas and ran 14 times for 74 yards. Earlier in the season, Reynolds rushed 10 times for 15 yards against Tampa Bay when Montgomery left with an injury and Gibbs was sidelined.

The Lions traded up to draft Vaki in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. He carried it just six times for 14 yards during mop-up duties in blowout victories, but has become a standout contributor in almost every phase of special teams.

Vaki played primarily safety in college at Utah, but played both ways as a senior. The Lions utilized his playmaking abilities on offense while also enjoying his physicality on defense in covering kicks.

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What the Lions will miss without David Montgomery

Montgomery joined Detroit as a free agent in the 2023 offseason on a three-year contract. He signed a two-year extension last October that keeps him as a Lion through the 2027 season.

Montgomery was a tone-setter in the backfield who will miss the final three games of the regular season and the NFL playoffs.

He finished 2024 with 775 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 185 carries (4.2 yards per carry) as a starter sharing snaps with Gibbs. His physical running style and ability to fend off tackles will be missed, but the Lions still have a running back with the ability to hit home runs in Gibbs.

Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 and email him at [email protected].

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Who will replace David Montgomery after a knee injury?

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