Lions Place Isiah Pacheco on IR

The Detroit Lions placed running back Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve Tuesday, Sept. 1, with a back injury that will sideline him for at least the first four games of the 2026 season. Jahmyr Gibbs remains the clear lead back while Detroit sorts the depth chart behind him.

Pacheco missed most of training camp with the back issue. He had also sprained an MCL in early August, though coach Dan Campbell said last week the knee had healed and the running back was "touch and go" with the back. IR makes the timeline official.

What the first month looks like without him

Per the Detroit Free Press, Pacheco will miss games against the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers. The earliest he can return is Oct. 11 against the Arizona Cardinals. Detroit has a bye the following week.

That is the floor, not a promise. IR is at least four games. How he responds once he is eligible is a separate question.

Who carries the ball now

The Lions kept five running backs, including Pacheco, on the initial 53-man roster. With him on IR, the room behind Gibbs includes Jacob Saylors, Sione Vaki, and Jabari Small. Saylors ran for 100 yards in last week's exhibition win over the Indianapolis Colts, and Campbell said afterward he was comfortable with Saylors as Gibbs' primary backup.

"I am," Campbell said of that comfort level. "I'm comfortable with those guys. And I just like the thought of having a guy in our system."

Roster moves and the bigger picture

Detroit re-signed tight end Tyler Conklin to take Pacheco's roster spot and added guard Elijah Klein and receiver Dominic Lovett to the practice squad. Pacheco ran for 830 yards and five touchdowns as a Chiefs rookie in 2022, then spent recent seasons fighting injuries, including a broken fibula that cost him 10 games in 2024.

Campbell's comfort with the in-house backs matters because Detroit already built the offense around Gibbs' explosiveness. Losing Pacheco removes a physical between-the-tackles complement for the first month, not the entire identity of the run game. Still, four guaranteed absences to open a season is a real dent in early-down planning and short-yardage packages.

For another early IR hit around the league, see Washington parking Laremy Tunsil on IR. Detroit's version is a backfield story more than a line story. Gibbs was already the centerpiece. For at least four weeks to open 2026, he will not have Pacheco as a change-of-pace option, and Saylors just inherited a louder role.