The Detroit Lions are in the midst of training camp, which has its fair share of intense positional battles. The Lions entered the camp with perhaps their deepest and most talented roster in years, creating a lot of competition to make the 53-man roster.
The running back room is just one of those battlegrounds. On Day 7 of practice on Thursday, things took an interesting turn in the RB rotation.
Jacob Saylors cementing his spot on the 53-man roster
Jahmyr Gibbs returned to practice, but worked separately from the team. Isiah Pacheco didn't practice for an undisclosed reason, and Sione Vaki remains out due to the broken nose he suffered earlier in the week. There were a lot of absences in practice, likely due to the extremely hot day in Detroit.
This also presented an excellent opportunity for backups, including in the RB room. Jacob Saylors made the most of this opportunity.
According to Jeremy Reisman of Pride of Detroit, Saylors continued to "impress with his speed and one-cut style of running." He added that Jabari Small, who shared first-team reps with Saylors, was also very impressive with his strength and the way he ran between the tackles "during red zone drills."
This comes on the heels of Dan Campbell praising Saylors earlier in the week. Campbell had talked about how Saylors looked more comfortable ahead of his second season with the team, calling him "smart and conscientious."
Saylors has been catching the eye of training camp watchers and media members all week. Given the unfortunate injury that Vaki suffered, Saylors may have overtaken him in the pecking order.
The Lions made an RB signing earlier this week, bringing in veteran rusher Raheem Blackshear after holding a cap tryout. Blackshear has plenty of NFL experience, suiting up in 41 games for the Panthers. Whether he will be able to make his case to be included in the final roster will depend on his performance in camp, as well as when and how Vaki returns.
Last season, the Lions brought four running backs into the season: Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Craig Reynolds, and Vaki. With his special-teams contributions as a return man, Saylors seems to be a lock to make the 53-man roster. Vaki can still sneak in as the RB4, but he has to show something upon his return.
Blackshear and Small may give Vaki a run for his money over the next several weeks for a roster spot. The way things are headed, the Lions' RB room may look very different than it did a year ago.
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