Lions’ Dan Campbell Speaks Out on Rookie Day 3 Selection

Getty Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell praised running back Sione Vaki after his performance in Week 2 of the NFL preseason against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The NFL preseason is the time for rookies, particularly Day 3 selections and undrafted free agents, to try and stand out. Fourth-round rookie running back Sione Vaki did that for the Detroit Lions in Week 2 of the exhibition season.

Vaki ran for 22 yards on 6 carries, finishing second for the Lions in rushing. But he was an even bigger factor in the passing game, hauling in 4 receptions for 60 yards. Vaki also returned a kickoff for 19 additional yards against the Kansas City Chiefs.

After the game, which the Lions won on a last-second field goal, 24-23, Lions head coach Dan Campbell praised Vaki for his performance.

“In the pass game, I thought he really stepped up,” Campbell said. “Man, the 2-minute drive at the end of the game. Wow, that was huge. He was making play after play, and he’s tired, and he keeps going. He keeps pushing himself through it.

“You felt growth from him today as well.”

The 2-minute drive that Campbell referred to actually occurred at the end of the first half. With 2:13 remaining in the second quarter, the Lions began a possession at their own 12-yard line. Detroit drove 83 yards to the Chiefs 5-yard line before settling for a field goal with 8 seconds left.

Vaki accounted for 51 of the Lions’ 83 yards on the drive.

Lions’ Sione Vaki Earning Role on Offense?

The Lions have tipped their hand when it comes to the team’s running back depth chart. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have each not played in the preseason while Craig Reynolds has received minimal playing time.

That makes sense, as Montgomery and Gibbs are the team’s top two running backs. Reynolds seemingly has a grip on the RB3 role.

If that’s really the case, then there might not be much opportunity for another running back to play much in Detroit. But Vaki is pushing to be “the next guy up” if an injury occurs.

Vaki saw his offensive snaps increase from 13 in Week 1 of the preseason to 26 in Week 2. Jake Funk was the only Lions running back with more snaps versus the Chiefs.

Vaki averaged only 3.7 yards per carry. But he posted 15 yards per reception.

Campbell admitted that the team isn’t ready to carve out a role for Vaki on offense. But he sounded encouraged by his progress.

“I would say it’s early right now to start really looking at, ‘Alright, here’s what we’re going to do for him.’ But I would say the more you learn about a player and the faster you figure out what they can do, the better off it is for everybody,” Campbell said. “We already felt like this kid was going to have the ability to play special teams. So now it’s like, ‘Well, can you use him on offense? Is there a place?’

“He’s a lot further along in that part of the game that he is just carrying the football. A lot of that is because he really hasn’t done it, taking the carries, the vision of the play, the cuts, the reads, all of that.”

Lions Have RB4 Competition

Gibbs and Montgomery give the Lions one of the best running back tandems in the league. With Vaki emerging, they appear to have one of the deepest running backs rooms too.

Vaki is competing with veteran running backs Jermar Jefferson, Zonovan Knight and Jake Funk for a roster spot. The advantage Vaki has over those other three backs is his ability to star on special teams. Vaki played 10 special teams snaps in Week 2 of the preseason, which was the most among all Lions running backs.

Detroit drafted Vaki in the fourth round this past spring. In college at Utah, Vaki played both safety and running back.

He had 317 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns along with 11 catches for 203 yards and 3 scores in 12 games last season.