The Detroit Lions got another jolt of injury news on Thursday, and this time it wasn’t just about Isiah Pacheco’s knee.
Head coach Dan Campbell said Pacheco has been dealing with a back injury on top of the MCL sprain that has followed him through training camp, making the veteran running back’s status even murkier as the Lions head toward the final stretch before Week 1.
“He’s another one. I can’t give you anything definitive.
He is feeling better as of yesterday. It’s been a little touch and go right now.
He’s had a little bit of a back (injury) and we’re hoping he’s coming out of this as of yesterday a little bit,” Campbell said of Pacheco on Thursday.
That’s a shift from earlier in camp, when Campbell said the Lions expected Pacheco would be "ready to go" when the season got here. Now, his availability for Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints looks less certain.
Pacheco, 27, joined Detroit this offseason on a one-year, $1.81 million deal. The move was designed to give the Lions a veteran back to pair with star Jahmyr Gibbs after the team dealt David Montgomery away.
Last season with the Kansas City Chiefs, Pacheco ran for 462 yards and one touchdown on 118 carries. Over his NFL career, he has totaled 2,537 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns.
His recent injury history has been a factor, too. Pacheco was limited to seven games in 2024 because of a fractured fibula, and he also missed a month last season with a knee issue.
If the Lions decide they need more insurance at running back, they have already taken a look at one possible option. Detroit hosted Kareem Hunt for a visit this past Tuesday.
In Other News...
Three Saints Have Forced Their Way Into The Roster Conversation
As the Saints wrap up their 2026 preseason against the Cowboys, a few bubble conversations have started to feel less theoretical. Bub Means, Jayden Price and Jaylan Ford have all made themselves part of the roster discussion with steady work in camp and eye-catching moments in preseason games, each of them using the summer to push past the usual evaluation chatter.
Means has bounced back from injury and opened the preseason by leading New Orleans in receiving yards, while Price has made an impact in the secondary with ball production, including an interception. Ford has been just as noticeable at linebacker, filling up the stat sheet and helping create enough confidence at the position that the Saints moved on from a veteran there, leaving one more decision for the final cutdown. [Read more 🡒]
Saints May Have Finally Fixed A Problem Fans Know Too Well
For a team that has spent years trying to steady the bottom end of its special teams, Ryan Wright looks like a significant offseason answer. The Saints brought in the former Vikings punter in free agency on a four-year contract, banking on a player who arrived in the league as an undrafted rookie in 2022 and quickly established himself as one of the better punters in football.
New Orleans has been searching for more consistency at the position ever since Thomas Morstead left, and the churn since then has been hard for fans to ignore. Wright's track record in Minnesota gives the Saints a legitimate chance to quiet one of those lingering headaches, even if the real proof will have to come once the games start and the pressure kicks in. [Read more 🡒]
Kellen Moore Sees A Big Saints Opportunity In Cutdown Week
With the NFLs cutdown deadline reshaped this year, Kellen Moore sees a chance for the Saints to use the extra time to sort through the edges of the roster before locking in their 53-man group. The first-year coach is now entering his second season in New Orleans after a difficult debut, and the added week gives the staff a little more breathing room to evaluate where the depth really stands.
Moore pointed to the leagues new setup, which gives teams a full week and three practices before they have to make final decisions. For a Saints team already looking ahead to the 2026 opener against the Detroit Lions, this stretch can still matter in a big way, especially for players fighting to stay in the picture when the roster gets trimmed. [Read more 🡒]