Amid all the injuries the Detroit Lions had during their Week 12 game against the Indianapolis Colts, the shoulder injury running back David Montgomery suffered looked very concerning for a time. He left the field without his helmet and pads on, but he later came back to the sideline and was seen in uniform.

Montgomery never re-entered last Sunday’s game, but it seems he could have if not for head coach Dan Campbell holding him out with an eye on the stretch run of the season.

“It was just a smart decision (to hold me out),” Montgomery said after last Sunday’s game, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Coach Campbell kind of pulled me to the side like, ‘Hey, there’s bigger fish to fry,’ so I trust in him and we’ll be ready for Thursday.”

Short week injuries of some significance are never good, so Montgomery’s status for Thanksgiving Day against the Chicago Bears instantly and automatically became a question mark.

A short week before a Thursday game also brings only walkthroughs and estimated practice reports. As expected, Montgomery was listed as a non–participant on Monday. He moved to being listed as a limited participant in Tuesday’s walkthrough, which was a good sign he’d be able to play against the Bears and backed up Campbell’s sentiment that he felt good about Montgomery playing on Thursday.

Dan Campbell says he feels good about David Montgomery playing Thursday. Laughs and says he couldn’t hold Montgomery out of this game against his former team even if he wanted to lol #Lions

— Dannie (@dannierogers___) November 26, 2024

Is David Montgomery playing on Thanksgiving Day vs. the Bears?

Wednesday’s injury report would be the final word on Montgomery’s status for Thanksgiving Day against his former team, at least before the inactives are announced around 90 minutes before kickoff. To that end, Montgomery was listed as a full participant on Wednesday and he’s officially listed as questionable for Thursday.

So Montgomery should suit up on Thursday, barring something unforeseen. The question then will be how physically limited he is, and thus what his workload will look like in a split with backfield mate Jahmyr Gibbs. But the prospect of Montgomery scoring a touchdown is always good when he’s on the field, even if his snaps are limited.