Detroit Lions Running Back Depth Chart — 2026
The Detroit Lions running back depth chart for the 2026 season: Jahmyr Gibbs at RB1, Sione Vaki at RB2, Jacob Saylors at RB3. Depth order follows the current published depth chart and refreshes daily.
Lions running back depth chart
| Role | Player | Status | 2025 RYOE | RYOE/Att | Follow | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB1 | Jahmyr Gibbs | 53.0 | 0.52 | Read | ||
| RB2 | Sione Vaki | — | — | |||
| RB3 | Jacob Saylors | — | — | |||
| RB4 | Isiah Pacheco | IR | — | — | Read | |
| — | Jabari Small | — | — | |||
| — | Kye Robichaux | Questionable | — | — | ||
| — | Michael Warren | — | — | |||
| — | Raheem Blackshear | Questionable | — | — | ||
| — | Roydell Williams | — | — | |||
| — | Trayveon Williams | — | — |
Who is the Lions RB2?
Sione Vaki is the Lions RB2 behind Jahmyr Gibbs, which makes him the back in line for the workload if Jahmyr Gibbs misses time — the handcuff.
Who backs up the Lions at running back?
A handcuff is the backup who inherits the starter's workload if the starter gets hurt — so the Lions handcuff is whoever sits directly behind Jahmyr Gibbs on the depth chart above. Rostering him is how you protect a starting back you have already spent a pick on. More on what a handcuff is.
Jahmyr Gibbs does everything for Detroit: 94 targets, 70.5% of Detroit's pass snaps, 67.5% of its snaps. Isiah Pacheco arrives from Kansas City, where he ran -0.41 yards over expected per carry on 118 carries.
If Jahmyr Gibbs misses time
Gibbs has been close to ever-present — 49 of 51 team games across 3 seasons, 2 missed — which makes this backfield a low-probability, very high-stakes case.
The job is enormous: 243 carries at 0.695 yards over expected per attempt, 13th of 49 qualifying backs, 77 receptions for 616 yards, and 67.5% of the snaps.
Isiah Pacheco, now on injured reserve and 4th on Detroit's depth chart, is the one other back with a real record, built in Kansas City: 118 carries at -0.412 per carry — 45th of 49 qualifying backs, near the bottom — and 51 of 68 team games.
Touches with everyone healthy
Not many, and the reporting below suggests fewer still.
Gibbs already took 67.5% of Detroit's offensive snaps, 8th among running backs. Detroit's own preview expects that share to rise this season, not fall.
Isiah Pacheco was signed to take over a departed complement's role, and his 37.4% snap share in Kansas City is the size of that job. He has since moved down Detroit's depth chart from RB2 to RB4, passing behind Sione Vaki, who moved from RB4 to RB2, and Jacob Saylors, who moved from RB2 to RB3. Even the RB2 role would have been the smaller half of a backfield whose lead back took 67.5% of offensive snaps last season.
Is there a passing-down back?
No. Gibbs played 440 pass snaps, 70.5% of Detroit's — 8th among running backs — against 67.5% of snaps overall, a tilt of +3.0 toward passing downs. He drew 94 targets, 5.53 a game, at 1.39 receiving yards per pass snap.
Pacheco now sits fourth on Detroit's running back depth chart, behind Sione Vaki (2nd) and Jacob Saylors (3rd). With Kansas City, he played 264 pass snaps at 0.38 per snap — a fraction of Gibbs' rate. The reporting below describes him as a complement in both the run and pass games, but the passing-down snaps remain Gibbs' alone.
What the beat is reporting
What the beat is reporting, last refreshed 2026-09-26. Nothing here is measured — it is reporting, attributed and dated.
Gibbs took 67 percent of the offensive snaps last year after 57 percent as a rookie in 2023 and 56 percent in 2024, and it would not be surprising if that is closer to 75 this season (DetroitLions.com, 2026-07-15).
Pacheco was signed in free agency to take David Montgomery's role, and Detroit thought he was a fit as a complement to Gibbs in both the run and pass games (DetroitLions.com, 2026-07-15). Pacheco is on IR and is fourth on the running back depth chart, a change from second. Vaki has moved to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, a change from third, behind Gibbs. Saylors and Small round out the running back listings.
Choosing between a Lions back and someone else?
Both men's 2025 production side by side, and which of them rests on inputs that historically repeat.
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