 Montgomery withIowa State in 2018 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 5 – Detroit Lions | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1997-06-07)June 7, 1997 (age 28) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Mount Healthy(Mount Healthy, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Iowa State (2016–2018) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2019: 3rd round, 73rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2025 | |||||||||||||||
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David “Knuckles” Montgomery (born June 7, 1997), is an American professionalfootballrunning back for theDetroit Lions of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theIowa State Cyclones and was selected by theChicago Bears in the third round of the2019 NFL draft.
Montgomery grew up in theCincinnati, Ohio area. He is anEagle Scout[1] During high school, he was a standout prepdual threat quarterback. Over his four-year high school career, he rushed for 6,666 yards and 91touchdowns.[2] In 2015, he was named the Division III Ohio Player of the Year[3] as well as the Southwest District Offensive Player of the Year.[4] His senior season rushing total of 2,707 was good enough for the 21st best single season performance in Ohio high school history.[5] He posted seven 200-yard games and three 300-yard games, including one 373 yard performance.[6]
Despite a record-breaking high school career, Montgomery was lightly recruited to continue his football career in college. He was recruited byMiami (OH),Ball State,Buffalo, andIowa State. He eventually committed to the Cyclones.[7]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Montgomery RB | Cincinnati, Ohio | Mount Healthy | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Mar 2, 2016 | |
Recruit ratings:Scout: Rivals: 247Sports:  (NR) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: 247Sports: 1,203, 55 (OH), 74 (RB) | ||||||
Sources:
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As a true freshman in2016, Montgomery played in all 12 games and started the final four contests. He led the team in rushing with 563 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.[8] This was good enough to be the second-best freshman performance in school history. In his second career start he rushed 169 yards on 24 carries to defeatKansas.[9] He was namedBig 12 Conference Newcomer of the Week for that performance.[10] He finished the season with 141 yards rushing and 45 yards receiving againstWest Virginia.[11]
At the conclusion of the season Montgomery was named to the honorable mentionFreshman All-American team byCampus Insiders.[12]
Montgomery's breakout season was in2017. He led the Cyclones in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage with 1,095 and 1,383 respectively.[13] He finished second in theBig 12 in rushing yards and touchdowns behind onlyJustice Hill.[14] Montgomery led the nation in forced missed tackles with 104, breaking the previous record of 89 set byDalvin Cook.[15] AgainstIowa he ran for 113 yards, rushed for a touchdown, and had 53 yards on receptions.[16] In an upset win at #3Oklahoma, Montgomery ran for 55 yards and a touchdown and caught 7 passes for 89 yards.[17] He had a career day againstTexas Tech rushing for 164 yards on 28 attempts, averaging 5.9 yards per play.[18] Montgomery had a third straight 100 yard performance againstWest Virginia,[19]Oklahoma State,[20] andBaylor[21] with 115, 105, and 144 yards respectively including three touchdowns against the Cowboys.
Montgomery received multiple accolades at the end of the regular season. He was named a first-team All-American byPro Football Focus[22] as well as consensus first-team All-Big 12.[23]
Montgomery started the season slow, but had a string of four straight 100-yard games with five touchdowns from mid-September to mid-October, and ended the season with another string of three straight 100-yard games with six touchdowns, including 179 yards from scrimmage in the2018 Alamo Bowl loss toWashington State.[24] Montgomery finished the 2018 season with 1,216 rushing yards (second in the Big 12 toAlex Barnes) and 13 rushing touchdowns (second toSam Ehlinger).[25]
| Season | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2016 | Iowa State | 12 | 4 | 109 | 563 | 5.2 | 2 | 13 | 129 | 9.9 | 0 |
| 2017 | Iowa State | 13 | 13 | 258 | 1,147 | 4.4 | 11 | 36 | 296 | 8.2 | 0 |
| 2018 | Iowa State | 12 | 11 | 257 | 1,216 | 4.7 | 13 | 22 | 157 | 7.1 | 0 |
| Total | 37 | 28 | 624 | 2,926 | 4.7 | 26 | 71 | 582 | 8.4 | 0 | |
On January 7, 2019, Montgomery announced that he would forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the2019 NFL draft.[26]ESPN2 dubbed Montgomery the "Frankenstein" of running backs for possessing similar physical traits of different NFL running backs, including the footwork ofSaquon Barkley, the field vision ofLe'Veon Bell, the strength ofEzekiel Elliott and the athleticism ofSony Michel.[27]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+1⁄8 in (1.78 m) | 222 lb (101 kg) | 31+3⁄8 in (0.80 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.58 s | 1.63 s | 2.69 s | 4.23 s | 7.12 s | 33.5 in (0.85 m) | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) | 15 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[28][29] | ||||||||||||
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TheChicago Bears drafted Montgomery in the third round with the 73rd overall pick in the draft.[30] Montgomery signed a four-year rookie contract with the team on June 14.[31]
Montgomery made hisNFL debut with the Bears in Week 1 against theGreen Bay Packers. In that game, Montgomery rushed for 18 yards on six attempts and caught one pass for 27 yards as the Bears lost 10–3.[32] In Week 2 against theDenver Broncos, Montgomery rushed 18 times for 62 yards and his first career NFL touchdown as the Bears won 16–14.[33] After 11 carries for 25 yards in Week 6 and two rushes for six yards and a fumble in Week 7 against theNew Orleans Saints, Montgomery responded in Week 8 against theLos Angeles Chargers with 27 rushes for an NFL-second best 135 yards and a touchdown in the 17–16 loss.[34] In Week 9 against thePhiladelphia Eagles, Montgomery rushed 14 times for 40 yards and two touchdowns in the 22–14 loss. This was Montgomery's first game with multiple rushing touchdowns of his career.[35] In Week 17 against theMinnesota Vikings, Montgomery rushed 23 times for 113 yards and a touchdown during the 21–19 win.[36] Overall, Montgomery finished his rookie season with 889 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns to go along with 25 receptions for 185 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.[37]
Montgomery remained the team's featured running back heading into the2020 season. Before the regular season began, head coachMatt Nagy emphasized the offense would prioritize establishing a run game.[38]
He opened the season with 64 rushing yards on 13 attempts en route to a 27–23 comeback win against theDetroit Lions.[39] In Week 2 against theNew York Giants, Montgomery rushed 16 times for 82 yards and caught three passes for 45 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the season during the 17–13 win.[40]
Montgomery suffered a concussion during the Bears' Week 9 loss to theTennessee Titans. He subsequently missed the team's Week 10 contest while recovering.[41] The Bears rushing attack ranked last in the NFL with 82.3 yards-per-game at this point in the season. Nagy handed over play-calling responsibilities to offensive coordinatorBill Lazor.[42] Montgomery returned for the Bears' Week 12 match-up against the Packers onSunday Night Football, where he totaled 143 yards from scrimmage and recorded a receiving touchdown in a 41–25 loss.[43] In his second game back from the concussion, Montgomery rushed for 72 yards with two rushing touchdowns during a 34–30 loss against the Detroit Lions.[44]
In Week 14 against theHouston Texans, he amassed 113 rushing yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run on the first play of the Bears' opening offensive possession.[45] The score was the fourth-longest run in Bears history and the team's first opening-play touchdown since 1995.[46] Montgomery finished the game with 155 yards from scrimmage in a 36–7 victory over the Texans.[45] During the Bears' 33–27 Week 15 victory over the Vikings, Montgomery rushed for a career-high 146 yards with two touchdowns on 32 carries.[47] The following week against theJacksonville Jaguars, he ran for 95 yards and a touchdown during the 41–17 win as he surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season, becoming the first Bears running back to do so sinceJordan Howard in 2017.[48] In Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers, Montgomery recorded 132 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown during the 35–16 loss.[49]
Montgomery finished the 2020 regular season with 247 rushes for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns.[50] His 1,070 rushing yards ranked fifth in the NFL.[50] He also caught 54 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns.[50]
Montgomery recorded 309 rushing yards on 69 carries with three rushing touchdowns through first four games of the2021 NFL season.[51] He suffered a knee sprain in Week 4 against theDetroit Lions.[51] and was placed oninjured reserve on October 9, 2021, and was expected to miss 4–5 weeks.[51][52] He had the fifth most rushing yards in the league until his injury.[53] He was activated on November 8 for the team's Week 9 game.[54] In Week 17, against the Giants, he had two rushing touchdowns in the 29–3 victory.[55] He finished the 2021 season with 225 carries for849 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to go along with 42 receptions for 301 receiving yards.[56] He was ranked 98th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[57]
In Week 2, against the Packers, Montgomery had 15 carries for 122 rushing yards in the 27–10 loss.[58] In week 10 against theAtlanta Falcons, he had 121 combined yards (67 rushing, 54 receiving), and one rushing touchdown the 27–24 loss.[59] He finished the 2022 season with 201 carries for 801 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 34 receptions for 316 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown.[60]
On March 16, 2023, Montgomery signed a three-year, $18 million contract with the Lions.[61] He started as the RB1 at the start of the season before a rib injury in week 6.[62] In a Week 4 victory over the Packers, he had 32 carries for 121 yards and three touchdowns.[63] He then came back two weeks later sharing the backfield with rookieJahmyr Gibbs.[64] This duo would become one of the most successful duos in the NFL as they became the first pair of players in NFL history to combine for 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns each.[65] He finished the season with 219 carries for 1,015 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns to go with 16 receptions for 117 receiving yards in 14 games and starts. He scored a touchdown in 11 different games.[66] Montgomery and the Lions would go to theNFC Championship where they lost to the 49ers 34–31. Montgomery had 113 scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in the loss.[67]
In Week 4 against theSeattle Seahawks, Montgomery achieved his 7th straight game with a rushing touchdown, tyingBilly Sims' record for the most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown in Lions franchise history.[68] On October 12, with two years left on his current contract, Montgomery signed a two-year extension worth $18.25 million with $10.5 million in new guaranteed money that will keep him in Detroit through the 2027 season.[69] In Week 15's matchup against theBuffalo Bills, Montgomery suffered amedial collateral ligament injury, which was initially believed to require a season-ending surgery. However, Montgomery sought additional medical opinions and returned for the divisional round of the playoffs.[70][71] Montgomery totaled 775 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 185 carries and 341 receiving yards on 36 catches in 14 games.[72]
In Montgomery's first season with the Lions, he teamed up with fellow running backJahmyr Gibbs to form a tandem Lions head coachDan Campbell described as a "two-headed monster." In 2024, the pair were given the nicknames "Sonic" and "Knuckles", inspired by characters from theSonic the Hedgehog video game series, with Gibbs dubbed "Sonic" for his speed and Montgomery as "Knuckles" for his strength.[73]
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2019 | CHI | 16 | 8 | 242 | 889 | 3.7 | 55 | 6 | 25 | 185 | 7.4 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2020 | CHI | 15 | 14 | 247 | 1,070 | 4.3 | 80 | 8 | 54 | 438 | 8.1 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2021 | CHI | 13 | 13 | 225 | 849 | 3.8 | 41 | 7 | 42 | 301 | 7.2 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | CHI | 16 | 16 | 201 | 801 | 4.0 | 28 | 5 | 34 | 316 | 9.3 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2023 | DET | 14 | 14 | 219 | 1,015 | 4.6 | 75 | 13 | 16 | 117 | 7.3 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2024 | DET | 14 | 14 | 185 | 775 | 4.2 | 21 | 12 | 36 | 341 | 9.5 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | DET | 11 | 0 | 115 | 511 | 4.4 | 72 | 5 | 18 | 135 | 7.5 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 99 | 79 | 1,434 | 5,910 | 4.1 | 80 | 56 | 225 | 1,833 | 8.1 | 40 | 4 | 11 | 8 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2020 | CHI | 1 | 1 | 12 | 31 | 2.6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | DET | 3 | 3 | 39 | 183 | 4.7 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 45 | 7.5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | DET | 1 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 4.0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 5 | 5 | 58 | 242 | 4.2 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 45 | 7.5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Montgomery had a difficult childhood. He does not know his father, and his mother moved the family numerous times around Cincinnati due to economic hardship. He remembers using the oven for heat, and boiling water collected from gas stations in the bath tub when either was disconnected. He has a brother who was incarcerated for drug trafficking and murder. After scoring a touchdown, Montgomery frequently holds up a "V"-sign in memory of a high school teammate and role model who was murdered during a home invasion.[25]
During high school, he achieved the rank ofEagle Scout in theBoy Scouts of America as part of Troop 772 inCincinnati, Ohio. He is currently an official Scouting America ambassador.[74]
While he was with Iowa State, Montgomery was chosen as a semi-finalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award for his efforts in befriending Hunter Erb, a 6-year-old who was born with multiple congenital heart defects, and orchestrating a team visit toMarshalltown, Iowa to help clean up after a tornado.[75]
Montgomery began following avegan diet during the 2020 season. After the Lions' Thanksgiving win in 2024, he drew media attention for eating a carrot while his teammates ateCBS' celebratory turkey.[76]
Montgomery and his girlfriend had their first child, a boy, delivered on January 13, 2023.[77]
On October 7, 2025, Montgomery was awarded the North Star Award, which is the highest award given to a person not currently enrolled in scouting for his service to Scouting. The event was held in Auburn Hills, MI and was awarded by Michigan Crossroads Council chief development officer Denver Laabs.[78]
