Detroit Lions running back Isiah Pacheco, who signed a one-year, $1.81 million deal with Detroit in March after four seasons and two Super Bowl wins with Kansas City, has been diagnosed with an MCL sprain that has kept him out of practice for four consecutive days.
Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed the injury and the prognosis Monday.
"He's got a little MCL sprain, but we feel good about that," Campbell said. "We feel pretty good about him being ready to go, certainly when the season gets here. I'm not concerned about that."
The injury is not ideal but not catastrophic. MCL sprains typically require two to four weeks of recovery depending on severity, and with the regular season opener against the New Orleans Saints on September 13, Pacheco has enough runway to get healthy if the sprain is on the milder end of the spectrum. He will miss the preseason regardless.
Pacheco's role in Detroit was always clearly defined, he backs up Jahmyr Gibbs, who signed a $67.5 million extension last week and is the unquestioned starter.
Campbell confirmed that depth behind Gibbs is more of a concern than Pacheco's starting status. The Lions also announced separately that starting center Cade Mays fractured his wrist and will miss significant regular season time, the more concerning of the two Monday injury updates.