The Lions may never get to use one of their biggest offseason additions, and their backup plan is already being tested, Lions might need to see what is out there
Isiah Pacheco underwent back surgery and may not return until December, if he returns at all. After a shaky first look at Detroit’s backup plan, it’s time for Brad Holmes to explore the running back market.
The Detroit Lions running back situation just got a lot more complicated. Lions coach Dan Campbell confirmed that running back Isiah Pacheco will miss a significant amount of time after his injury required surgery. That news, combined with a rough performance from Sione Vaki and limited usage of Jacob Saylors, has Detroit facing real questions about whether it needs to go shopping at the position.
Pacheco’s absence could last all season
Campbell used the words “a significant amount of time” when describing Pacheco’s timeline, and the fact that surgery was required makes this even more concerning. If you’ve been following along all offseason and into the start of the regular season, it’s looking more and more like Pacheco is not going to play for the Lions at any point this year. That’s a huge blow to a backfield that was already thin behind Jahmyr Gibbs. We now know that “significant amout of time” is about 12 weeks.
If I’m Detroit, I’m starting to look around and see who’s available at running back. Because the guys behind Gibbs have not inspired confidence so far.
Vaki’s struggles were impossible to ignore
There’s no sugarcoating it. Vaki struggled in this game, and every Lions fan who watched it saw it. Campbell acknowledged the inconsistency when asked about Vaki’s performance:
“Yeah, he was inconsistent. There were a couple of things in there that he’s got to be better at. I know the one everybody’s talking about — he can’t do that. He knows that, and we’ve got to get him cleaned up.
“But he did have some reps in there that were good. He had a couple of carries I thought were pretty good, and he got a ball on a checkdown that wasn’t bad. We’ve just got to tighten this stuff up with him a little bit because we’re going to need to be able to use him. That’s the bottom line. He and Saylors.
“To your point, this is the most he’s gotten offensively, and he’s got to bank those reps and get better from them.”
The rep everyone is talking about is the one where Vaki ran into the back of Penei Sewell. It helped Saints edge rusher Chase Young get around the edge, and it was ugly. There were multiple times where it seemed like Vaki was blocking his own guys. He’s got to get better at that.
Personally, I still think Vaki is a safety in the NFL. I don’t know why the Lions are never going to try this. Whatever team he winds up on next, I think they will, and I think they’ll have some success with it.
What about Jacob Saylors?
Campbell was also asked about Saylors, who we didn’t really get to see on Sunday. Earlier in the summer, right when training camp was ending, Campbell had mentioned the Lions were totally comfortable with Saylors at running back. So why didn’t he get more run? Here’s Campbell’s explanation:
“I think it was more about giving Vaki a shot. Vaki is a little bit of a heavier player, and you feel like if you need the carry, the protection, and then the pass game, he’s pretty quick and explosive and has good hands.
“Instead of just sprinkling one or the other, maybe we kind of doused a little bit more. That doesn’t mean this week Saylors doesn’t get those reps or more of those reps, or maybe we split them. We’re still talking about all that a little bit.”
It’s not a done deal. We’re going to see in a few days when Detroit plays the Buffalo Bills what the backfield split looks like. I think the Lions probably give Saylors a little more work based on how much Vaki struggled. The only good play Vaki really had was the catch for a first down that Campbell referenced.
The Lions might need to look outside the building
Here’s the thing. If Saylors can’t pop either, there’s trouble. You definitely don’t want to run Gibbs as much as the Lions ran him on Sunday, even though Detroit is telling us up and down that they’re fine with it and think he can handle the workload. Why risk it? The Lions have bigger goals than grinding their best back into the ground in September.
We’ll see what happens. But right now, if I’m the Lions, I’m looking at who’s out there.
