In what is starting to become an interesting trend, the Lions may add yet another name to their mix of players who could make late-season returns. As it turns out, the team is not ready to bail on David Montgomery coming back at some point.
Dan Campbell said Monday his starting running back was set to miss the rest of the season with an MCL injury. The fourth-year Lions HC backtracked on that Wednesday, indicating Montgomery has sought a third opinion on his injured knee.
“David’s getting another opinion,” Campbell said (via SI.com). “He’s had a couple, and really just see what this third one says. That’s why we have not put him on injured reserve.
“We’re in waiting mode. … It is one of these injuries that’s unique? You need to know, ’Is it stable? Is it fixed or will it scar?’ And then, certainly stable for now and for later. And then you’ve got to rely on him (saying), ‘Hey man, I can do this.’”
After a solid but unspectacular Bears tenure, Montgomery has been essential to the Lions’ rise over the past two seasons. He has formed one of the best running back tandems in recent NFL history, teaming with Jahmyr Gibbs in a thunder-lightning-like setup. Montgomery has operated as Detroit’s starter, with Gibbs a lethal change-of-pace option. Montgomery has already accumulated 25 rushing touchdowns as a Lion, playing well behind a top-tier offensive line, and was on pace for a second straight 1,000-yard season. The Lions extended the former second-round pick on a two-year, $18.25MM deal earlier this season.
As Gibbs appears all but certain to play a bigger role for the NFC North leaders down the stretch, the Lions are holding off on Montgomery heading to IR. When asked if he had hopes of returning this season, Montgomery responded (via Lions.com) in the affirmative. In the meantime, the Lions will carry the RB on their 53-man roster.
Detroit’s IR-return picture is becoming foggier. The team has seven total activations remaining, counting the two additional playoff slots, and several players loom as return candidates. Aidan Hutchinson is in play to come back as early as the NFC championship game, should the Lions advance that far, while Carlton Davis could come back from a broken jaw during the postseason as well. The team designated safety Ifeatu Melifonwu for return for a second time this season today, moving him closer to a comeback. Linebackers Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes have not been ruled out for the year, and DB Ennis Rakestraw is eligible to return.
Melifonwu, a part-time starter last season, has already been activated from IR once. It did not lead to any game action, as the fourth-year veteran landed back on IR days later due to a nagging ankle injury. But the Lions evidently feel comfortable moving him closer to a reactivation. Under the current setup, players can be activated from IR twice in a season. Both transactions count toward teams’ activation totals, however.
As this pride of rehabbing Lions aims to flood the transaction wire with IR-return designations and eventual activations, Campbell called defensive lineman John Cominsky unlikely to return. Cominsky has missed all of this season due to a torn MCL sustained in July. While the Lions waited until setting their 53-man roster before placing him on IR, he appears to be drifting out of the Lions’ complex IR-return picture. In his third year with the Lions, Cominsky has started 19 games with the team. Alim McNeill is definitively out of it as well, having suffered an ACL tear against the Bills.
Though, the batch of players Detroit does have in this mix offers some hope for the battered 12-2 team. For now, Montgomery remains in this equation. If the team ends up shelving the sixth-year back, Craig Reynolds — a 2019 UDFA who has been with the Lions for four seasons — is set to play a larger role. Reynolds figures to see increased run in the meantime, as it would seem logical Montgomery will miss some games before returning — in the event he does not undergo season-ending surgery.
