When the Detroit Lions traded David Montgomery to Houston in March, the conversation was understandably about the running back leaving Detroit.

Juice Scruggs felt more like part of the return package.

Six months later, he is starting at center in Week 1.

Detroit officially received Scruggs, a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick for Montgomery, according to the Lions’ original trade announcement. Scruggs brought experience at all three interior offensive-line positions, but nobody needed to pencil him into the starting lineup immediately.

That changed when expected starting center Cade Mays fractured his wrist during training camp and landed on injured reserve.

Scruggs took advantage of the opening. Now, as NBC Sports noted Saturday, the player initially viewed as something close to a throw-in will snap the football to Jared Goff when Detroit opens the season against New Orleans.

Scruggs Was Supposed to Provide Depth

Detroit did not acquire Scruggs with no expectations.

The former Houston second-round pick arrived with 37 NFL appearances and 20 starts, and the Lions immediately noted his ability to play center and both guard spots.

Still, versatility and starting at center on opening day are two very different things.

The original assumption was that Scruggs would compete somewhere along Detroit’s rebuilt interior line while providing valuable insurance. An early DSN examination of the trade even asked whether Detroit had quietly acquired its next starting center, though the answer was anything but obvious at the time.

By August, the picture had changed. Scruggs began taking first-team center work after Mays went down and then strengthened his case with a solid preseason performance against Washington. We noted at the time that Scruggs was emerging as Detroit’s likely Week 1 starter.

What looked like emergency work gradually became the plan.

An Unexpected Part of the Montgomery Trade Pays Off

Scruggs’ rise adds another layer to how Detroit evaluates the Montgomery deal.

Montgomery was a productive and popular Lion, rushing for 2,506 yards and 33 touchdowns during his three seasons in Detroit. But Jahmyr Gibbs had become the clear centerpiece of the backfield, and Brad Holmes ultimately turned Montgomery into draft capital plus an offensive lineman.

At the time, much of the attention naturally landed on the fourth-round pick. DSN’s original trade evaluation focused heavily on the draft value Detroit extracted.

Scruggs may now become the most immediately important piece.

He told reporters this week that he feels “a lot more comfortable” at center and that things have started slowing down for him after initially being thrown into the role.

Detroit needs that comfort to translate quickly.

The Lions are not simply replacing Mays. They are breaking in an offensive line with significant turnover around Penei Sewell, while Drew Petzing installs his version of the offense.

Detroit Is Putting Real Trust in Scruggs

The strongest evidence of Detroit’s confidence came Saturday.

The Lions did not elevate center Seth McLaughlin from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. That leaves Scruggs as the clear starting center, with right guard Tate Ratledge having taken emergency center reps behind him.

That is a meaningful vote of confidence.

Scruggs does have previous NFL experience at center, including eight starts there in Houston, so he is not learning the position from scratch. But this will be his first regular-season start in the middle of an offense built around Goff, Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta.

When Detroit traded Montgomery, Scruggs looked like useful depth attached to the draft picks.

On Sunday, he becomes something considerably more important.

He becomes the starting center.