ALLEN PARK — The timing of running back Isiah Pacheco (back) being placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, Sept. 1, raises some questions about the viability of his potential return this season. The Lions declined to use an open IR-to-return spot on Pacheco during roster cutdown day, which would have allowed the team to sneak an extra player onto the 53-man roster. Since the team has limited IR-to-return spots to use throughout the season, the sequence of events prompts the question of whether the team is concerned about his potential to return this season. General manager Brad Holmes was vague about Pacheco's future when asked Wednesday, saying, "That's the hope," when asked if he thinks Pacheco will be back this year. On the other hand, the fact that Pacheco was placed on IR on Tuesday rather than Monday does lend credence to the idea that the team may have recently received new information that prompted his placement.
"I don't want to put a timetable on it right now. I'll just say that, look, he's steadily feeling better, and again, he's doing everything he can to get back, and we're excited to get him back when he's healthy," Holmes said. Pacheco signed with the team on a one-year deal this offseason after four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has dealt with injury problems in recent years; he missed three games with shoulder and quad injuries in 2023, nine games with an ankle injury in 2024, and three games with a knee injury in 2025. Holmes said injuries are part of the game, and signing a player with a clean injury history does not mean that the player is injury-proof. More: Brad Holmes confident enough work was done to build Lions' CB depth "Football's a physical game and injuries occur, and so injuries, are — yeah, some guys have had them in the past, some have not. You can sign a player that's never really missed much time, and something can happen at any point," Holmes said. "So, you just understand the risk whenever you make an acquisition of any player and know that anything can happen at any time. "That's our job up here, to make sure that we have succession plans and different points where you can pivot in place in case that happens." Pacheco missed most of training camp because of an MCL sprain that coach Dan Campbell didn't show significant concern about. But when asked for an update last week, Campbell noted that Pacheco is dealing with a back injury. "The knee is not the concern," he said. The Lions kept five running backs on their initial 53-man roster, including Pacheco. As of now, it appears that running backs Jacob Saylors and Sione Vaki will compete for the No. 2 job behind Jahmyr Gibbs. nbianchi@detroitnews.com @nolanbianchi This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions 'hope' Isiah Pacheco can return this season after IR stint