DETROIT — The Detroit Lions placed running back Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve, according to an announcement from the team on Tuesday.

Pacheco joined the Lions this offseason after the team lost running back David Montgomery via trade and was primed to be the No. 2 back. He brought the same physical running style that Montgomery brought to the table, but with a few more injury concerns.

Now, those concerns have become real, as Pacheco must miss at least the first four games of the season.

Pacheco missed ample time in training camp with an MCL sprain that Lions coach Dan Campbell said wasn't a major concern. However, on Aug. 27, Campbell disclosed that Pacheco had suffered a back injury that was complicating his return to action.

"The knee is not the concern," Campbell said.

Pacheco 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 last season.

The Lions kept five running backs after paring their roster to 53 players on Sunday. While it was known at that point that Pacheco was dealing with an injury that could put the start of his regular season in jeopardy, it's unclear why the team did not use one of their two IR-to-return slots on Pacheco, which would have allowed Detroit to not count him in the 53-man roster limit.

The Lions used one of their IR-to-return slots on center Cade Mays.

In the meantime, the Lions appear to be content with Jacob Saylors, Sione Vaki and Jabari Small being the contingency plan behind superstar running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

Vaki was sat out of the team's preseason finale after Campbell said he was pleased with his hard running in practice. Campbell said he'd be comfortable with Saylors or Small taking carries during the regular season.

Saylors led all running backs in yards per game (62.3) during the preseason, taking 31 rushes for 187 yards (6.0 yards per carry).

“I’m comfortable with that,” Campbell said about Saylors possibly getting work as RB2. “I just like the thought of having a guy in our system. You know, I think that’s important. Knows our terminology, knows our guys, knows the protections, just kind of knows it all, man, understands our quarterback and how he thinks. I just think that’s important.

“Really, all of those guys, I feel pretty good about it. And when I say that … Small would kind of fall into that bucket just like Saylors would. They kind of got a feel of what we’re doing.”

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