David Montgomery joined the growing list of Detroit Lions players who have been injured, but the team is holding out hope that the running back might be able to return from what was believed to be a season-ending knee injury.
“We’re in a holding pattern as of right now,” coach Dan Campbell said Wednesday. “That’s a positive.”
Campbell said Montgomery is getting another opinion on his knee injury, which occurred Sunday during the Lions’ 48-42 loss to the Bills.
“That’s why we have not put him on injured reserve,” he said. “We’re in a waiting mode.”
That’s a new development after Campbell told reporters Monday that Montgomery would undergo season-ending surgery.
Even if Montgomery is trending in a better direction, the Lions had to place defensive tackle Alim McNeill, cornerback Carlton Davis and special teams ace Khalil Dorsey on injured reserve on Tuesday, putting an NFL-high 21 players on IR.
Like Montgomery, all three players were injured against the Bills. McNeill suffered a season-ending ACL tear, Davis will undergo surgery on his broken jaw and Dorsey broke his right leg, which will sideline him for the remainder of the season.
Montgomery has helped form arguably the league’s best running back duo alongside Jahmyr Gibbs for the second straight season. He’s rushed for 775 yards on 4.2 yards per carry and 12 touchdowns, which is tied for the fourth-most in the league.
McNeill has emerged as a pivotal player for the Lions defense. He’s totaled 25 tackles with 3.5 sacks this season after recording five sacks last year. The fourth-year defensive tackle’s performance in 2023 helped him earn a four-year, $97 million extension in October.
Davis started all 13 games he played in for the Lions after the team traded for him over the offseason. He’s put up 56 total tackles, two interceptions and two fumbles recovered in those 13 games.
Dorsey has primarily been a special teams player for the Lions this season, playing in 71% of the team’s special teams snaps. He had 14 total tackles this season.
Detroit (12-2) visits Chicago (4-10) in Week 16, with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET on FOX. The Lions are clinging to a first-place tie with Minnesota in the NFC North, along with a tie with the Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles for the top seed in the conference.
If Montgomery can return at some point, even if he’s held out until the playoffs, that would provide a boost for a team that needs its high-powered offense to compensate for a banged-up defense that has 16 players on injured reserve.
Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and linebacker Alex Anzalone headline the long group of players on IR. There is some hope that Hutchinson could return from his broken leg injury if the Lions make it to the NFC Championship Game, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer previously reported. Anzalone was expected to miss six to eight weeks after being placed on injured reserve on Nov. 18.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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