The Detroit Lions will open the 2026 season without Isiah Pacheco.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Detroit has placed Pacheco on injured reserve because of the back injury that complicated his recovery late in training camp.

“Lions placed RB Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve due to a back injury that now will sideline him for at least four games.”

That means Pacheco will miss Detroit’s first four games against the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. The earliest he could return would be Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 11. Detroit then has its bye in Week 6.

Not exactly how the Lions envisioned September going.

Pacheco’s Injury Situation Took a Turn

Pacheco originally went down with a sprained MCL during training camp. At the time, Dan Campbell expressed optimism that he could be ready for Detroit’s regular-season opener.

We previously covered Pacheco’s original knee injury and Campbell’s encouraging outlook.

Then things changed.

Near the end of training camp, Campbell revealed that the knee was no longer Detroit’s primary concern. Pacheco had developed a back issue, and the Lions suddenly could not provide a timetable for his return.

“He is feeling better as of yesterday. I mean, it’s been a little touch and go right now. He’s had a little bit of a back and we’re hoping he’s coming out of this as of yesterday a little bit,” Campbell said while discussing Pacheco’s status.

Instead of coming out of it quickly enough to play Week 1, Pacheco will now have at least another month to recover.

Pacheco never appeared during the preseason, including Detroit’s opening game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Lions’ Running Back Depth Will Be Tested

Detroit signed Pacheco in March after trading David Montgomery to the Houston Texans, with the former Kansas City Chief expected to become the primary complement to Jahmyr Gibbs.

Pacheco spent his first four NFL seasons with Kansas City and enters 2026 with 2,537 rushing yards, 554 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns. He also brings two Super Bowl championships to a Lions team trying to make its own postseason run.

For now, that role will have to wait.

The Lions kept five running backs on their initial 53-man roster: Gibbs, Pacheco, Sione Vaki, Jacob Saylors and Jabari Small.

With Pacheco headed to injured reserve, Detroit still has depth behind Gibbs, but it loses the most proven runner in that group.

And suddenly, something Detroit did last week becomes considerably more interesting.

The Lions recently brought veteran running back Kareem Hunt to Allen Park for a visit. No deal was announced following the meeting, but Hunt spent several seasons alongside Pacheco in Kansas City and would give Detroit another experienced, physical runner.

Maybe the visit was simply Brad Holmes doing his homework.

Maybe that homework is about to come in handy.

Either way, Pacheco’s move to injured reserve creates an open roster spot and leaves Detroit with another decision to make before the Saints arrive at Ford Field.

The Lions can survive four games without Pacheco.

They would certainly prefer not to find out how long they can survive without him.