Jahmyr Gibbs has become the center of the Detroit Lions' running game, taking 134 of the team's 163 rushing attempts in 2026. That is 82.2% of the workload, a share that makes the backfield look far thinner than it was supposed to be.
Dan Campbell once described Gibbs as the team's "bell cow," and the numbers now match the label. Sione Vaki has 16 carries, Jared Goff has 12, and Amon-Ra St. Brown has one rushing attempt, a one-yard loss against the Green Bay Packers. In other words, the Detroit Lions running back depth has hardly been asked to do much beyond follow Gibbs.
That concentration is why the search for help has started now. Gibbs appeared to twist both his ankle and his knee on a game-sealing rush against the Green Bay Packers, and while he should be available for Sunday's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions are living with a fragile setup if anything changes. The workload is not only heavy; it is almost entirely one player.
The backup plan is not much sturdier. The Lions signed Isiah Pacheco to a one-year deal in March to replace traded RB David Montgomery, but Pacheco has been out since August with an MCL injury and back surgery. His back surgery carries roughly a 12-week recovery time, and he is about midway through it, which puts his return at probably no earlier than December 6.
That leaves Detroit with a choice that cannot be hidden by the next game. It can keep leaning on Gibbs and hope the workload does not catch up to him, or it can add another runner before the season asks more of this group than it can safely give.
