After all that happened between March and the start of the season, it was no surprise the Detroit Lions leaned on running back Jahmyr Gibbs heavily in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints. He set career-highs for carries (29) and touches (34), on his way to 186 yards from scrimmage and two rushing scores.
The issue is behind him on the depth chart. Isiah Pacheco added a back injury to an early August knee injury, and after surgery it's not a stretch to say he might not play this season. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported a potential to return in early December.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell hinted there could be a committee approach to the RB2 spot in Week 1. Instead, Sione Vaki played 22 offensive snaps while Jacob Saylors saw zero. Vaki had 17 total yards on three touches, with a notable mistake in pass protection that would've been a disaster if not for a flimsy overturned call.
On Monday, Campbell was still trying to talk himself into Vaki being a viable RB2.
"Yeah, he was inconsistent. There were a couple of things in there that he’s got to be better at. I know the one everybody’s talking about — he can’t do that. He knows that, and we’ve got to get him cleaned up."
"But he did have some reps in there that were good. He had a couple of carries I thought were pretty good, and he got a ball on a checkdown that wasn’t bad. We’ve just got to tighten this stuff up with him a little bit because we’re going to need to be able to use him. That’s the bottom line. He and Saylors."
“To your point, this is the most he’s gotten offensively, and he’s got to bank those reps and get better from them.”
As for why Saylors didn't play any offensive snaps against the Saints, Campbell said it was "more about giving Vaki a shot" and more of a split between the two could happen starting in Week 2 against the Buffalo Bills.
Pacheco's long-term injury has thrown the Lions' RB2 plan into disarray, and there's no easy way to fix it now. But waiting for Vaki to figure it out, when running back may not even be the position he should be playing, is a recipe for getting Jared Goff hurt when a blitz pickup is whiffed on.
Lions could take a viable RB2 option out of the doghouse with his current team
The free agent running back pickings are of course slim right now, with Kareem Hunt easy to see as the best fit due to the Lions having him in for a visit in late-August. The trade market isn't any better right now, but that could change in the coming weeks.
So to find a good potential option, digging deep is required. Or maybe not, since there is someone hiding in plain sight.
Such as preseason plays can be meaningful, this one still stands out. New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy took a false step (or two) on a blitz pickup in the preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings, and quarterback Jaxson Dart got leveled as a result.
Jaxson Dart getting leveled in preseason.
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) August 15, 2026
Tyrone Tracy was in on pass pro. pic.twitter.com/JGu2UGN6JY
The Giants reacted to that by signing veteran running back Najee Harris days later. Harris is working his way back from a torn Achilles that costed him most of last season, and he was not active for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Tracy was in uniform for the season opener, but he played just two offensive snaps. He had 14 yards on two carries, but after a fumble on the second one he didn't see another offensive snap.
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If Harris is able to play in Week 2, or any point soon as the one year mark since his injury looms, Tracy may end up being a healthy scratch if the Giants don't want to have four running backs active. His special teams role could be notable, but will that be worth it?
Tracy started his college career as a wide receiver, and his ability in the passing game showed in his first two NFL seasons as he totaled 101 receptions. He also topped 700 rushing yards in each of his first two seasons, on his way to over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in each campaign.
And yes, based on Pro Football Focus grades, Tracy has not been a good pass blocker. It's also worth noting Gibbs' hasn't been either, as any defensive coordinator who has made it an intention to keep him in as a pass protector on a regular basis (#Brian Flores) has doubly profited by removing him as a pass target.
One notable mistake, as a horrible field surface seemed to not have been helpful, does not mean Tracy is a horrible, unredeemable pass protector. Based on a one game sample from Vaki, Tracy is not any worse in that area and he can also offer something notable as a playmaker.
It's possible the Giants end up waiving Tracy sometime soon. But they'd surely take whatever they could get in a trade, and the Lions should be ready to cut the waiver process line by offering something along the lines of a conditional Day 3 draft pick.
Passing game coordinator Mike Kafka was the Giants' offensive coordinator the last two seasons, and he took over as interim head coach after Brian Daboll was fired last year. So an endorsement of Tracy to fix the Lions' RB2 issue may be coming, if it hasn't happened already.
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