Detroit Lions special team Sione Vaki (33). USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Lions 2026 Roster Bubble: Running Backs

Originally posted on Detroit Lions on SI | By Vito Chirco | Last updated Jul 2, 2026 7:04 AM ET

For the first time in his NFL career, Jahmyr Gibbs will enter a season as the undoubted No. 1 running back in Detroit.

It’s a role that Gibbs has seemed destined for since entering the league in 2023. Gibbs, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, spent two seasons with Georgia Tech before transferring to Alabama for his final collegiate campaign.

In three combined years with the Yellow Jackets and the Crimson Tide, the dual-threat runner recorded 2,132 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground, while also securing 103 catches for 1,215 yards and eight scores.

He hasn’t slowed down since reaching the professional ranks, either. Just last season, the do-it-all back amassed 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, while compiling another 616 yards and five touchdowns as a pass-catcher.

And Gibbs accomplished all that while David Montgomery, the “thunder” to Gibbs' “lightning,” was also treated by Dan Campbell and Detroit’s coaching staff as a No. 1-caliber back.

Montgomery, who spent three productive seasons in Motown, has since been traded to the Houston Texans. And while the Lions did sign Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco this offseason, there’s no disputing the fact that Gibbs will head into 2026 as the team’s lead back.

Meanwhile, Pacheco, who started 42 of 51 games in his four seasons in Kansas City, should be a highly capable No. 2 back for Campbell & Co. He appeared in 13 total games (12 starts) a season ago, notching 462 yards and a touchdown on 118 carries.

Roster bubble

Detroit is expected to carry one other running back on its season-opening roster, and that final spot is likely to come down to a battle between Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors.

Vaki has failed to make much of an impact through his first two NFL seasons, with just seven carries for 18 yards in 27 games. He’s also logged just 27 total offensive snaps, including a single snap on offense in 2025.

He will be greatly challenged for the No. 3 running back job by Saylors.

Saylors, an undrafted free agent out of East Tennessee State, only recorded two carries for 11 yards in 2025. However, he did make a significant impact on special teams, returning 33 kicks for 897 yards.

Vaki also brings special teams value to the table. However, it pales in comparison to Saylors. In fact, since being drafted by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Vaki has returned four total kicks for 94 yards.

At this present moment, I believe Saylors will beat out Vaki for the final spot in Detroit’s running backs room.

The Lions currently possess two other running backs on their roster: Kye Robichaux and Jabari Small.

Robichaux, an undrafted free agent in 2025, was projected to have a legitimate shot to make the Lions’ practice squad out of training camp.

However, he suffered an injury in early August, and subsequently was waived prior to being brought back to the roster and placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the year.

Meanwhile, Small, like Robichaux, suffered an injury early in training camp last summer. He then was signed to Detroit's practice squad in late November, which is where he spent the rest of the season.

The organization has since signed Small to a futures contract for the 2026 campaign.

At this juncture, I believe that Robichaux and Small both have a solid shot to land on the Lions' season-opening practice squad.