New Detroit Lions RB Isiah Pacheco Will Be Ready When Number Is Called

New Lions running back Isiah Pacheco, signed to a one-year deal this offseason, will enter training camp as the team’s clear-cut No. 2 back behind Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs.

And the overwhelming sentiment is that he should be an adequate replacement for offseason departure David Montgomery in Detroit’s backfield.

Pacheco, a violent, downhill runner, much like Montgomery, started 12 games a season ago for Kansas City, totaling 462 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Pacheco will be paired up with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, who oversaw a career resurgence for James Conner in Arizona in 2023 and 2024. Conner compiled over 1,000 yards in each season.

Through OTAs and minicamp thus far, the former Chiefs back has been laser-focused on learning the playbook and finding ways to make an impact wherever needed. He’s also made an emphasis of not making the same mistake twice.

All of it should bode well for the fifth-year runner, as he gets acclimated to being part of Detroit’s competitive roster.

“They got their own culture here, and I love being a part of it so far since I got here,” Pacheco told reporters on day one of minicamp Tuesday. “It’s the grit. You got guys willing to compete every single time we get a chance.”

Pacheco’s role in Detroit will be starkly different from the one he had in Andy Reid’s offense in Kansas City.

He started 85 percent of the time in his four seasons with the Chiefs, and in his first two campaigns in KC, he paced the team in touches, averaging 13.9 per game.

However, injuries have gotten the best of Pacheco the last two seasons. He missed nine games in 2024 with a fractured right fibula, and proceeded to miss an entire month last season with an MCL sprain.

It led to a noticeable dip in the Rutgers product’s production, which caused him to be supplanted by Kareem Hunt as the Chiefs’ No. 1 back.

On top of that, Kansas City inked Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III to a lucrative contract this offseason, making it clear as day that Pacheco would be looking for employment elsewhere.

The 27-year-old enters a Detroit backfield that will direly need his production, particularly as Gibbs’ handcuff.

He’s embraced his new role in the Motor City, and has prioritized gleaning as much as possible from Gibbs in the week ahead. And all the while, Pacheco has vowed he’ll be ready when his number is called.

“If someone’s in, you got to watch them, get that mental rep,” Pacheco said. “So when you’re up and then ready to go, you got to compete at a high level.”

Pacheco’s team-first mindset has been ultra evident since the day he signed with the Lions. Time and time again, he’s made it known he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Dan Campbell’s squad win.

“This game here, it takes a lot of us to win the game and not just one person,” he expressed. “Everybody on the team, the staff, the coaches, nutritionists, everybody plays a part.”

If Pacheco can stay healthy and find his form from his first two NFL seasons, Detroit would be equipped with a potent backfield duo in 2026.

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