Earlier this week, we published our latest SB Nation Reacts survey, sponsored by the folks at FanDuel Sportsbook, and asked Detroit Lions fans: Which Lions RB will get the majority of Isiah Pacheco’s snaps?
While Jahmyr Gibbs is going to be the clear RB1/“bell cow” back, the loss of Pacheco to injured reserve has raised questions about who will take on his reps. While giving those reps to Gibbs is an easy solution, the Lions won’t want to overload their superstar and will need to keep him fresh. That’s
likely why over 90% of the fan base debated between Sione Vaki and Jacob Saylors stepping into a larger role.
The results of the vote are in:
Saylors started all three preseason games and looked steady and consistent in doing so. He showed a lot of technical skills and was productive, even though he often worked behind the reserve offensive line. Let’s take a closer look at the comment section of our original article and The Feed post to see fans’ explanations for selecting Saylors (lightly edited for clarity).
- grimy0185: “I think it will become clear pretty early on that Saylors is RB2 with or without Pacheco on the active roster.”
- Prof_SJR: “Would hope Vaki has progressed to the point where he is RB2, but he is also highly valued on special teams. Seems like Saylors has shown better pure RB skills.”
- Lions86: “Ultimately, I think Saylors will be RB2; he is just more of a natural running back, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield too. It might come down to who can block in the backfield best.”
While most fans’ votes landed on Saylors, this is a week in which my opinion doesn’t align with the majority. Saylors looked solid in the preseason, but unless fans were at training camp, they never got to see the steps Vaki has taken on offense because he didn’t play in the preseason. Some of that was due to injury, but the coaches also stepped in and kept him out of situations.
What fans may have missed is that Vaki has consistently run as RB2 while Pacheco has been out, and his skill set gives him opportunities to find the field. While Saylors is experienced, balanced, and reliable, Vaki is bigger and has shown enough power to produce in short-yardage situations; he is also a former receiver with the hands to match, but what will get him on the field more than anything else is likely pass protection. Vaki is an ELITE pass protector, and that will allow the Lions to put him on the field in any situation.
Here are a few Vaki supporters from the comment sections (lightly edited for clarity).
- ULTIMATEpunisher007: “I do think it’s Vaki. It’s not just running the ball but also pass blocking. As an RB, you have to be confident in picking up the blitz and protecting your QB. I think Dan will trust Vaki in that role to protect Goff before Saylors. He’s basically acting as the personal protector for the QB.”
- Waitingsince57: “The coaching staff “seems” to trust Vaki WAY more than the fan base. They see him every day in practice, where we have hardly ever seen him in action due to his injuries. Saylors performed great in the preseason but not against NFL starters. Coaches will decide, and I think it will be Vaki.“
- JohnLion777: “Next man up. And like it or not, at this moment, that man is Vaki.
As a reminder, this survey was sponsored by the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook, who currently have the Lions listed as +1700 to win this year’s Super Bowl, +850 to win the NFC Championship, and +155 to win the NFC North as the current favorites.
Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. If you want to receive these surveys by email weekly, you can sign up here.
