Officially, it is doubtful whether David Montgomery will play in Thursday’s Thanksgiving game against the Chicago Bearbut even Detroit Lions Coach Dan Campbell admits there is little chance of stopping the running back from facing his former team.
“Oh no, are you kidding me?” Campbell said Tuesday. “No, no, no. And listen, David last week was – he wanted to get back in this match. He was good and I held him back just to be safe and he wasn’t happy.”
Montgomery injured his shoulder in the second half of the Lions’ 24-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts. He said after the game he would be able to play this week, and the Lions listed him as full practice on their estimated injury report Wednesday.
Montgomery, part of the NFL’s best backfield duo with Jahmyr Gibbs, totaled 3,609 yards in four seasons with the Bears before signing with the Lions as a free agent in 2023.
Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (knee) is also questionable, but is expected to play Thursday after being listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice report.
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The Lions ruled out left tackle Taylor Decker (knee) and cornerback Carlton Davis (knee/thumb) from Thursday’s game due to injuries suffered against the Colts. Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold did not receive an injury designation and will play against the Bears after missing the Colts game with a groin injury.
The Lions also placed punt returner Kalif Raymond on injured reserve Wednesday.
Raymond will miss at least the next four weeks with a foot injury, although Campbell said Tuesday he doesn’t expect Raymond’s injury to end the season.
The Lions signed returning Maurice Alexander and linebacker David Long from the practice squad to the active roster. Long played 13 defensive snaps in his Lions debut last week.
“We used Long more than we thought we would,” Campbell said. “As the game went on, getting David involved felt like…he understood the calls going into the game and we felt like that was a little more his type of game.”
Dave Birkett will sign copies of his new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline” from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Troy Sports Card Show at the Balkan American Community Center. Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram on @davebirkett.
This article was originally published on Detroit Free Press: Lions’ David Montgomery and Amon Ra St Brown questionable to play against Bears
