The Detroit Lions traded running back David Montgomery this offseason, and his replacement might not be the person you think it is. While the expectation was that Isiah Pacheco would be the Lions’ backup, he is currently injured, and Jacob Saylors is going to hold down the backup job.
Mike Payton of A to Z Sports made it clear that it is a bold prediction, but he believes that Saylors will take the job and refuse to give it back to Pacheco.
“I’m not saying Saylors is going to run for 1,000 yards, but I am saying he’s going to have a good enough season to the point where the Lions say he’s their guy going forward,” wrote Payton. “Something like 500, 600 yards. I don’t think we see Pacheco play this year. Maybe that’s another bold prediction, but if we do see him, it’s going to be pretty late in the season, and by that point, Saylors is probably going to have this thing locked down.”
Pacheco will miss at least the first four games of the season. The question is what happens when he returns.
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Pacheco has not been able to stay healthy in recent years. He had 375 rushing attempts in his first two seasons and just 201 in the following two. He suffered a foot injury in 2024 and only played in seven games.
He was healthier in 2025, but only played in 12 games and had 118 carries with a 3.9 yards-per-carry average.
He showed up to training camp, but was not healthy initially. He had a foot injury. However, as he recovered from that, a back injury popped up. Now, he is starting the year on the IR.
With the amount of injuries and them all coming in a row, it is easy to understand why there are fears that Pacheco will not come back. More than that, Saylor has looked good.
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Saylors was a 2023 UDFA from East Tennessee State. He was on the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons practice squads in his first year. After spending some time in the UFL, he came back and was on the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns practice squads.
In 2025, he settled in with the Lions. Saylors had just two carries for 11 yards, but was still active for 16 games. This preseason, he went from a fringe roster player to someone with a strong chance of being the Lions’ backup.
Pacheco went down with an injury, and Saylors stood apart from the rest of the room. Saylors led the Lions with 31 rushing attempts for 187 yards. He had four rushes that went for 15 yards or more.
So, he has progressed within the organization; he produced in the preseason, and now that the opportunity is there, it looks like he can take advantage. It would make sense if he were able to hold down the backup job.
That could lead to close to 100 rushing attempts. That is a significant upgrade for the fourth-year player.
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