With only one preseason game remaining and two days left before the Detroit Lions have to finalize their 53-man roster, few difficult decisions await Dan Campbell. Some of these decisions will be about how to choose between deserving players in stacked positions like the defensive line and linebackers, while some of them will be about sorting through injuries.
The running back room falls into the latter camp. A big reason why is the injuries Isiah Pacheco has been dealing with.
Lions' Isiah Pacheco may not be ready to start the season
Detroit's offseason addition hasn't practiced in three weeks with a knee injury. On Thursday, head coach Dan Campbell provided the latest on Pacheco. To make matters worse, he is now dealing with an even bigger concern: a back injury in addition to the knee.
Even though Campbell said that Pacheco is feeling better "as of yesterday," per Lions insider Nolan Bianchi, he refused to give a definitive timeline for his return. There is a chance he could start the season on the PUP list, which complicates Detroit's running back rotation.
Jacob Saylors has looked great in the preseason, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He also has return duties on special teams, so his place on the roster is guaranteed.
Many had assumed that Sione Vaki could be in trouble. He spent most of training camp dealing with injuries, but he has been practicing for the last two weeks. How he looks in the preseason finale on Saturday will be an important factor in deciding his role for the season, but Vaki should make the final roster.
Since Jahmyr Gibbs will get as many touches as he can handle as the bell cow back, perhaps this isn't that big of a problem. But if Pacheco misses the first couple of weeks of the season, do the Lions really feel confident beginning the season with Vaki or Saylors as the RB2?
They must not be sure about the answer to that question since they hosted Kareem Hunt earlier in the week. They didn't come to an agreement with the 31-year-old rusher, but the fact that it was even a consideration suggests that the Lions are preparing for the pessimistic scenario with Pacheco.
The free agent options at running back leave plenty to be desired. Hunt might even be the best of that bunch.
But other alternatives may emerge. Trading a draft pick to acquire an RB doesn't seem like the best use of resources, but there may be more talented rushers hitting the market after the roster cutdown date.
Kaleb Johnson of the Steelers, Roschon Johnson of the Bears, and Tyrone Tracy of the Giants are cut candidates. If it indeed looks like Pacheco will be unavailable to start the season, the Lions would be wise to bring in one of these veterans.
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