The Detroit Lions had to cut ties with the disgruntled David Montgomery, effectively ending the Sonic & Knuckles era at Ford Field. Jahmyr Gibbs just got paid top dollar, and he's clearly ready to run the show on his own.
Even so, the team signed former Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco to a one-year, $1.81 million deal. It was a 'prove it' contract after watching him go from borderline star to afterthought in the past couple of years.
That's why, now that he's missed precious training camp time and continues to be banged up, his future with the team should be a huge question mark. He may have made the 53-man roster, but he may not even play in the season opener.
Isiah Pacheco still needs to prove himself in Detroit
Pacheco suffered a knee injury earlier in training camp. Now, a back injury has put his status for the season opener in jeopardy. As high as the team was on him when he first joined, that should cast big doubts about his future.
Things got so bad that the Lions even brought in his Chiefs running mate, Kareem Hunt, for a workout. They also brought five running backs into the 53-man roster, which surprisingly included Jabari Small. That should say everything there is to know about their concerns regarding Pacheco's health and short-term outlook.
Pacheco was a seventh-round pick for a reason. When he's not bruising his way between the tackles, he doesn't bring that much to the table. He wasn't efficient in short-yardage and goal-line situations in the past couple of years, and he hasn't been healthy.
On paper, he's the sturdy running back this team needed to keep Jahmyr Gibbs out of harm's way in those circumstances. But if he can't even suit up regularly, what's the point of keeping him after watching him put up such underwhelming numbers in recent years?
Letting him go before the start of the season didn't make much sense if they still felt he could return at some point early in the campaign. That said, he should be on a short leash once he's finally ready to take the field.
He may have to change his 'angry' running style to avoid missing so much time. Those big, heavy steps are clearly taking a toll on his body, and there's only so much he'll be able to endure before his career has to be cut short. The Lions still trust him, but that will only buy him so much time.
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