The Detroit Lions have spent the first six weeks of the 2026 season lighting up scoreboards, but the backfield picture behind Jahmyr Gibbs has grown thin enough to raise a real question. Dan Campbell’s team is averaging 32.8 points per game, which ranks second in the NFL, yet there hasn’t been a reliable second option to take pressure off the star runner.
That lack of depth shows up quickly when you look at the workload. Gibbs has handled 105 of Detroit’s 130 total rushing attempts in 2026, which comes out to about 81 percent of the team’s carries. That kind of usage is hard to ignore, especially with the season still unfolding and the concern growing that Detroit could wear him down over time.
So the idea of adding a veteran makes sense, and Najee Harris is now available after being cut by the N.Y. Giants on Tuesday. For a Lions team that has not found much production from its reserve backs, Harris stands out as a possible fix.
His time in New York never got off the ground. In five games with John Harbaugh’s team, Harris logged 31 carries for 99 yards and did not score. He also started ahead of Cam Skattebo on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints and managed only two yards on four carries.
The bigger issue came after the game, when Harris took issue with the way he was being used in a committee. “It's hard to get into a rhythm with one or two runs,” Harris told reporters Sunday.
“The first couple runs you'll be like: 'OK, how are they playing me?' And then the next ones will be like: This is how you attack it.
But if you're getting a play here and you get taken out for a series, there's nothing you can do. That's why I'm saying I don't know.
I've never been through this before.”
Harris is 28 and has already shown he can be a productive NFL back. He put together four straight seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards and six or more touchdowns during his time in Pittsburgh, and he never missed a game with the Steelers.
Since then, though, his career has hit rough patches. He tore his left Achilles tendon early in the 2025 season with the L.A.
Chargers and ended up appearing in just three games, finishing with 61 yards and no touchdowns on 15 carries. He worked his way back in time for the ‘26 season, but now he’s back on the market after the stint in New York ended badly.
Even with the recent struggles, Harris could still fit what the Lions need. He is a more proven option than Sione Vaki and could step into the No. 2 role behind Gibbs right away. If Brad Holmes is looking for help in the backfield, Harris is the kind of move that deserves serious consideration for the rest of the season.
In Other News...
Jahmyr Gibbs Faces A Familiar Packers Problem At The Worst Time
Jahmyr Gibbs has been one of the NFLs most dangerous finishers this season, and Detroit is leaning on him again as it tries to get back on track in the division. The Lions head into another meeting with Green Bay looking for their first win over the Packers since 2024, and Gibbs will be central to that push after emerging as the offenses touchdown leader.
The matchup, though, has not always brought out his biggest rushing afternoons. In six career games against Green Bay, Gibbs has averaged 48.2 rushing yards and scored twice, even as the Packers run defense has been merely average this season. Detroit knows what it needs from its backfield, but this remains one of those rivalries where production has been harder to bank on than the name on the stat sheet suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Run Defense Just Got A Brutal Week 7 Twist
The Lions run defense is about to get a very different test in Week 7. Josh Jacobs has been activated to the Packers roster, giving Green Bay a needed boost after he missed the entire season to this point and the offense sputtered to the bottom of the league on the ground. For Detroit, the timing matters because this matchup now looks less like a chance to feast on a struggling rushing attack and more like a battle against a back who can change the feel of a game.
Jacobs return comes after his off-field situation shifted enough to clear the way back onto the roster, and Green Bay suddenly has a player it has been missing all season. For the Lions, it adds a layer of urgency to a unit that has built its identity on controlling the line of scrimmage. The Packers may still be trying to find their footing, but this is no longer the same rushing opponent Detroit was preparing for a week ago. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Have A Tom Kennedy Replacement Decision Still Hanging Over Sunday
Tom Kennedys injury leaves the Lions with a straightforward special teams problem and a familiar name ready to step in. Detroit special teams coordinator Dave Fipp said DeAndre Carter brings the kind of experience the team wants in the return game, and the veteran is the logical option to take on both punt and kickoff duties after Kennedy goes down.
The wrinkle is procedural, not positional. Carter is still on the practice squad, so Detroit has to make a roster move before he can actually suit up on game day, either by signing him to the active roster or elevating him for the matchup. For now, the Lions have a clear answer in mind, but the final paperwork still has to be sorted before Sunday. [Read more 🡒]