The Lions came into the summer with a plan for Isiah Pacheco to be their No. 2 running back behind Jahmyr Gibbs, but Pacheco has dealt with multiple injuries this month and that may lead them in a different direction.
Jacob Saylors ran 17 times for 100 yards in Saturday’s preseason finale and he had 14 carries for 87 yards in the team’s other two games. It is Year 2 for Saylors in Detroit, but he only played eight offensive snaps while seeing regular time on special teams in his 15 appearances.
The offensive action may have been limited, but head coach Dan Campbell said on Saturday that Saylors’s experience in the system leaves him comfortable about moving forward with him in the backup role.
“I am,” Campbell said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I’m comfortable with those guys. And I just like the thought of having a guy in our system, think that’s important. Knows our terminology, knows our guys, knows the protections. Just kind of knows it all, man. Understands our quarterback and how he thinks. I just think that’s important.”
Pacheco added a back injury to a sprained MCL recently and his status for Week 1 is up in the air. If he can’t go, Saylors is in line for a chance to build on the positive impression he made in the preseason.
Lions Clips
The growing trend of NFL teams keeping their quarterbacks out of the preseason has reached the point where more than one-third of starting quarterbacks did not take a single snap in this year’s preseason.
The reasons were different for different teams: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Colts quarterback Daniel Jones are recovering from season-ending injuries. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson haven’t played in the preseason in years, across multiple coaching staffs. Rams coach Sean McVay is perhaps the most cautious coach in the league when it comes to avoiding preseason injuries, so of course reigning MVP quarterback Matthew Stafford didn’t play.
But the result is the same: If you’re tuning into a preseason game, you’re increasingly likely to see backup quarterbacks exclusively, and if you see a starter at all, it will typically only be for a series or two.
Here’s the full list of teams that didn’t play their starting quarterbacks at all this preseason, via Mike Reiss of ESPN:
Seahawks: Sam Darnold.
Patriots: Drake Maye.
Cowboys: Dak Prescott.
Ravens: Lamar Jackson.
Steelers: Aaron Rodgers.
Colts: Daniel Jones.
Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence.
Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes.
Eagles: Jalen Hurts.
Lions: Jared Goff.
Saints: Tyler Shough.
Rams: Matthew Stafford.
Lions kicker Jake Bates did not finish the preseason strong on Saturday. Lions coach Dan Campbell is not concerned.
Bates did not attempt any field goals in the Lions’ preseason finale but did attempt three extra points, missing two of them. Bates is the only kicker on the Lions’ roster, so he’s in no danger of getting cut, and Campbell said the Lions have full confidence in him.
“No, I’m not worried about Bates. He just pushed them a little bit. He’ll be fine. He’ll be fine,” Campbell said.
Bates also missed a field goal in last week’s preseason game, and he wasn’t as good in 2025 as he was in 2024, when the Lions signed him out of the United Football League and he became one of the NFL’s best kickers. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for the Lions to have some concerns at kicker heading into the season, but Campbell insists he doesn’t.
The Seahawks have made it official.
Seattle announced the club has signed cornerback Terrion Arnold on Saturday.
Arnold is now expected to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list. Arnold will be paid while on the list, but he will not be eligible to play.
Arnold, a Lions first-round pick in 2024, was waived in June after his arrest. He faces four felony counts each of armed robbery and kidnapping.
While the Seahawks struck an agreement with Arnold weeks ago, they waited until roster cuts to officially bring him on.
In 24 games over his first two seasons, Arnold has registered 18 passes defensed with one interception. It’s unclear when he will be available to play for Seattle now that he has joined the club.
As a corresponding move, Seattle waived offensive tackle Derrick Graham.
All rosters must be down to 53 players by 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Defensive end Payton Turner did not play in any games during the 2025 season and he won’t be getting back into regular season action with the Lions.
The Lions announced that they placed Turner on injured reserve on Thursday. Turner has been out with a back injury.
Turner signed with the Lions in March after spending all of last season on the Cowboys’ injured reserve list. A rib injury was the issue in Dallas.
Turner entered the league as a Saints first-round pick in 2021. He had 50 tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 31 games for New Orleans.
Defensive back Eric Scott was signed to fill out the 90-man roster in Detroit.
The Lions gave Jahmyr Gibbs a new contract this month that made him the highest-paid running back in the NFL. Packers outside linebacker Micah Parsons thinks that was a wise investment.
“He’s the fastest person I’ve ever seen on the field,” Parsons said of Gibbs as part of the NFL’s Top 100 Players feature.
Parsons has seen Gibbs on the field three times: Twice last year when the Packers faced the Lions, and once in 2023, when Parsons and the Cowboys faced Gibbs as a rookie. Gibbs hasn’t had big numbers in any of those games, which Parsons attributes to the whole defense being focused on him.
“You need 11 people running to the ball every play,” Parsons said. “If you don’t rally tackle, there’s no way you’re beating the Lions with him at running back.”
The Packers and Lions play in Week 7 and Week 18 this season. Parsons says he and his teammates will have their hands full.
“You’re watching the tape like, ‘We’ve got this dude again this week?’” Parsons said. “He’s for real.”
Lions running back Isiah Pacheco has picked up another injury.
Pacheco sprained his MCL earlier this month and head coach Dan Campbell said at the time that the team thought Pacheco would be able to return for Week 1. On Thursday, Campbell said that Pacheco is now dealing with a back injury and that his status for the opener is unclear.
“I can’t give you anything definitive,” Campbell said at a press conference.
Campbell did say that the knee is not “a concern” when it comes to Pacheco’s availability.
The Lions met with free agent Kareem Hunt earlier this week and any move to add options in the backfield could be a sign that they don’t think Pacheco will be ready to go against the Saints.
The Lions placed veteran linebacker Damone Clark on injured reserve on Tuesday, the team announced.
Clark had an undisclosed injury early in training camp that will keep him out for the season.
The Lions signed Clark as depth at the position behind Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez, but Clark’s injury prompted the team to sign veteran Devin White.
In a corresponding move, the Lions signed center Gus Hartwig.
Hartwig went undrafted in 2025, signing with the Jets. He spent his rookie season on injured reserve with a leg injury. The Jets waived him after the offseason program.
Center Cade Mays is out with a wrist injury and backup Michael Niese injured his leg in Saturday’s preseason game.
The Lions might be without safety Thomas Harper in the preseason finale against the Colts as he deals with an ankle injury.
The Lions got one of their key offensive players back on the field on Tuesday.
Via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, tight end Sam LaPorta returned to practice after missing less than a week with a hip injury.
Head coach Dan Campbell had said that he wasn’t sure if LaPorta’s injury would linger into the regular season. But LaPorta took part in individual and team drills on Tuesday.
LaPorta caught 40 passes for 489 yards with three touchdowns in 2025. He missed much of the season due to a back injury.
Additionally, guard Ben Bartch returned to practice after missing last week and linebacker Trevor Nowaske exited practice early with an apparent knee injury.
The Lions are taking a look at a veteran running back.
Kareem Hunt visited with Detroit on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Hunt, 31, spent the last two seasons back with the Chiefs after five seasons with the Browns. He appeared in all 17 games for Kansas City last year, recording 611 yards with eight touchdowns, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. He also caught 18 passes for 143 yards with a TD.
Lions backup running back Isiah Pacheco has been sidelined by an MCL sprain, but head coach Dan Campbell noted earlier this month that Pacheco was expected to be ready by Week 1.
A third-round pick in 2017, Hunt has rushed for 5,775 yards with 55 touchdowns in his 121 career games. He’s also caught 267 passes for 2,209 yards with 18 TDs.
