It has been a frustrating start to the season for second-year running back Sione Vaki. The Detroit Lions RB was dealing with a leg injury during training camp and preseason that limited his availability, a hamstring injury that kept him out in Weeks 1 and 2, and now a groin injury that has sidelined him since his season debut in Week 3. While it has certainly hurt Vaki's individual development, it has also hurt the Lions, especially in terms of roster building.
Jeremy Reisman of The Pride of Detroit reported on Thursday that Vaki was still not participating in practice, along with offensive tackle Taylor Decker, linebacker Zach Cunningham, and cornerback Terrion Arnold. UNless there's a major change, the Antioch, CA native will almost certainly not suit up against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Lions RB Sione Vaki Remains Out Despite Not Landing on IR
None of Vaki's ailments warranted him landing on the injured reserve list. He has mostly had a day-to-day designation that required a wait-and-see approach. This meant that the 24-year-old rusher has been occupying a precious spot on the 53-man roster. When the team is desperately needing more depth on the defensive side of the ball, especially on the secondary, not being able to sign more players to the active roster has certainly not been an ideal situation for the Lions.
On paper and on the field, Vaki's absence is not very significant for the Lions. As a rookie, he has mostly been utilized on the special teams, playing 71% of the team's special teams snaps, while only getting six carries for the season. With David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs healthy, and Craig Reynolds comfortable in his role as RB3, there aren't enough touches to go around in the RB rotation. Therefore, Vaki would have contributed almost exclusively to special teams.
He returned two kickoffs for a total of 55 yards as a rookie, and could see an increased workload once he finally suits up again. Still, the Lions want to see more from their fourth-round pick sooner rather than later.
The Sonic and Knuckles duo of Gibbs and Montgomery is not going anywhere, and they are under contract through 2026 and 2027, respectively. However, having Vaki become a productive rusher while still on his rookie-scale contract could give the Lions additional flexibility, both on the field and on the books.
Instead, they haven't gotten anything from Vaki so far, and they have to be frustrated with the fact that he has been restricting what else they could have been doing with his roster spot.