Vaki (leg) turned five carries for 30 yards while adding two catches (on four targets) for minus-two yards during the Lions' 24-17 preseason loss to the Dolphins on Saturday.
Vaki missed the Lions' first two exhibition games due to a leg injury. He was cleared to play in Saturday's contest and worked with the offense for the first half before sitting for the second. The 2024 fourth-rounder is battling Craig Reynolds and Jacob Saylors for the Lions' RB3 spot behind Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Vaki will use the upcoming week in practice and the Lions' preseason finale against the Texans on Saturday, Aug. 23 to make his case for a spot on the team's 53-man roster.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Warming up ahead of exhibition game
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Vaki (leg) is in uniform and is taking part in special-teams warmups leading up to Saturday's preseason matchup versus Miami, Richard Silva of The Detroit News reports.
A leg injury prevented Vaki from taking part in Detroit's first two exhibition contests, but it appears the second-year running back could play Saturday. Vaki has been practicing this week, and if he does get cleared to play against the Dolphins, he could get an extended look. His ability to take the field could be a significant development in his quest to earn the Lions' No. 3 RB role, for which he's competing with Craig Reynolds.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Doesn't play Friday
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Vaki (leg) did not play in Friday's preseason game against the Falcons, Christian Booher of SI.com reports.
Vaki injured his leg near the start of training camp, and while he's been able to practice in a limited capacity, he was not cleared to play in Friday's contest. The former fourth-rounder is battling Craig Reynolds and Jabari Small for the RB3 job behind Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Vaki will look to increase his practice participation over the coming week in order to be given the green light to play against the Dolphins on Saturday, Aug. 16.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Handling individual drills
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Vaki (leg) returned to practice Monday and participated in individual drills and walkthroughs, Benjamin Raven of MLive.com reports.
Vaki missed roughly one week of training camp activities due to a leg injury, but he's now returned to on-field work in a limited capacity. The 2024 fourth-round pick suited up for 16 regular-season games as a rookie but totaled just 51 yards on offense, though he also has the versatility to contribute at safety and on special teams, which boosts his odds of being able to secure a depth role.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Leaves practice due to leg injury
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Vaki left practice Monday due to a leg injury, Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News reports.
The exact nature and severity of the injury have yet to be determined. Vaki is competing for a depth role in Detroit's backfield after notching only 51 total yards on offense in his rookie regular season. The 2024 fourth-round draft pick can also play safety and is expected to contribute on special teams once healthy.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Won't play Week 9
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Vaki (knee) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Packers.
Vaki looked to be on his way to being available Sunday after logging a full practice Thursday, but he was tagged as doubtful after not practicing Friday. The rookie fourth-round pick's next chance at suiting up will be Week 10 against the Texans on Sunday, Nov. 10. David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds will be the Lions' three running backs for Sunday's contest.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Doubtful for Sunday
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Vaki (knee) is listed as doubtful ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Packers.
Vaki appeared to have moved past his knee issue after recording a full practice session Thursday. However, he downgraded to a DNP on Friday and will likely miss the Lions' Week 9 divisional matchup. With Vaki expected to be sidelined Sunday, Detroit's running back room will likely consist of David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Past knee injury
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Vaki (knee) was a full participant during Thursday's practice.
Vaki was held out of Wednesday's practice due to a knee injury he likely picked up during the Lions' Week 8 win over the Titans. The injury doesn't appear to be severe, however, as he was able to practice without limitations Thursday. Barring any setbacks, Vaki will suit up and play in his usual special-teams role against the Packers on Sunday.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Dealing with knee issue
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Vaki (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Colton Pouncy of The Athletic reports.
Detroit's No. 4 running back recorded one total tackle across 22 special-teams snaps in Sunday's blowout win, however, it appears he sustained a knee injury in the process. The rookie from Utah could be in jeopardy of missing Week 9's matchup against the Packers if he doesn't upgrade to at least limited participation Thursday or Friday.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Productive in preseason game
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Vaki ran for 22 yards on six carries and caught four passes for 60 yards on four targets in Saturday's preseason game against Kansas City.
The rookie fourth-round pick out of Utah seemingly played in the rotation following Craig Reynolds, who took the first touch at running back with Jahmyr Gibbs (hamstring) and David Montgomery left out of the game. The Lions plan to run often and are expected to keep all four running backs on the roster, and whatever the depth chart placement might be between Vaki and Reynolds at the moment could change over the course of the year. Vaki's pass-catching upside stands out, not just because of his strong showing Saturday but even more so because Vaki turned 14 targets into 11 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns for Utah last year.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Gets four carries in NFL debut
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Vaki rushed four times for 29 yards and wasn't targeted in Thursday's 14-3 preseason loss to the Giants. He also recovered a fumble.
All four of Vaki's carries came on one drive late in the first half, and he also showed good awareness for a rookie by recovering a fumble committed by a Giants defender on an interception return. The versatile fourth-round pick played both safety and running back at Utah, but the Lions have had Vaki concentrate on the latter position to begin his NFL career. He appears to be no higher than fourth on the depth chart behind Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery and Craig Reynolds, who started Thursday's game. Detroit's second preseason game will be next Saturday in Kansas City.
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Lions' Sione Vaki: Back at practice
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Vaki returned to practice Friday, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell stated Vaki's shoulder problem is "nothing long term," Jeff Risdon of USA Today and John Maakaron of Sports Illustrated report.
Vaki left practice early on Thursday with shoulder problems, but it appears the injury won't be a problem moving forward as he returned to practice just a day later. The rookie running back will need as many reps as he can get ahead of Detroit's season as he focuses solely on the offensive side of the ball after playing both running back and safety in his collegiate career with Utah.
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Sione Vaki: Detroit adds in fourth round
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The Lions selected Vaki in the fourth round of 2024 NFL Draft, 132nd overall.
Vaki (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) was a do-everything standout at Utah, where he thrived as both a safety and to a lesser extent at running back. Curiously, the Lions listed Vaki as a running back in the pick selection, but the presences of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery would seemingly indicate that there is little or no playing time up for grabs at running back. It might make sense for Detroit to therefore use Vaki as a two-way player the exact same way Utah did and basically call upon him in whichever capacity the situation might call for. If Vaki can earn playing time, there's reason to think he can produce on either offense or defense, though in terms of the depth chart he is probably far away from meaningful playing time in the short term.
