Lions' Jacob Saylors: Earns trust of coaching staff
Rotowire
Saylors earned the trust of coaching staff during training camp and could see consistent playing time on both offense and special teams this season, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Saylors had a strong training camp, and across three preseason games he logged 31 carries for 187 yards while catching five passes (on nine targets) for 40 yards. With Isiah Pacheco (back) on injured reserve with no clear return timeline, Saylors is poised to operate in an elevated role in the offense behind Jahmyr Gibbs, with 2024 fourth-rounder Sione Vaki also in the mix for backfield touches.
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Lions' Jacob Saylors: Starts Saturday
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Saylors rushed six times for 32 yards while also giving up a fumble-six in Saturday's 17-13 preseason win over the Commanders.
Saylors' 5.3 yards per carry and starting role were somewhat overshadowed by a massive mistake. The running back coughed up the ball on the second play of the game, leading to a fumble-six that gave the Commanders an early lead. The 26-year-old recovered well from the error, producing consistently and safely for the rest of the contest. It remains unclear how the Lions' opinion of the second-year rusher will be affected, but with Isiah Pacheco (knee) and Sione Vaki (back) still sidelined with injuries, Saylors will likely remain one of the top options at running back for the time being.
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Lions' Jacob Saylors: Day-to-day with ankle issue
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Saylors (ankle) could return to practice in "a day or two," Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.
Saylors likely picked up the issue in Thursday's preseason opener against the Bengals. The running back is set to be the starting kick returner for the Lions this season, so healing completely from the issue takes priority over preseason action. Saylors played just nine offensive snaps over 16 regular-season games in 2025 compared to 281 special-teams snaps.
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Lions' Jacob Saylors: Limited again Tuesday
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Saylors (back) remained a limited participant for Tuesday's walkthrough practice.
Saylors handles kickoff returns for the Lions, as he's logged 699 scoreless yards on 26 returns this season. He otherwise carries no fantasy value while Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are healthy.
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Lions' Jacob Saylors: Unavailable for Week 10
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Saylors (back) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Commanders.
A back issue prevented Saylors from participating in the final two practices of Week 10 prep, and the injury is severe enough for him to be sidelined for Sunday's road contest. Craig Reynolds (hamstring) is currently listed as questionable, and if he were to join Saylors on the Lions' inactive list, then Sione Vaki would serve as the Lions' RB3 behind Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Saylors' next opportunity to suit up is Week 11 against the Eagles on Sunday, Nov. 16.
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Lions' Jacob Saylors: Role limited to special teams
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Saylors returned two kickoffs for 54 yards in Monday's 24-9 win over the Buccaneers.
Since logging his first two NFL carries (and gaining 11 yards) in a Week 4 blowout win over the Browns, Saylors has played exclusively on special teams in the Lions' subsequent three games. In addition to serving as Detroit's top kickoff returner, Saylors also has a role on the Lions' coverage units.
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Lions' Jacob Saylors: Signed to active roster
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The Lions signed Saylors off their practice squad Saturday.
With Sione Vaki (hamstring) out for Week 1 against the Packers, Saylors was signed to the 53-man roster as the Lions' RB4 behind Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery and special teams dynamo Craig Reynolds. Saylors carried the ball 33 times during the preseason, totaling 112 scoreless yards.
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Jacob Saylors: Gets spot on practice squad
Rotowire
Saylors signed with the Lions' practice squad Wednesday.
Saylors is entering his third season in the NFL but has yet to play in a regular-season game. He was highly productive over his past two seasons at East Tennessee State, but he'll need injuries to pile up before he gets a shot on the active roster.
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Lions' Jacob Saylors: Leads team in rushing
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Saylors turned nine carries into 35 yards and caught both of his targets for 14 yards in Friday's 17-10 preseason win over Atlanta.
Saylors saw the most touches out of the backfield in the Lions' second preseason contest, producing 3.9 yards per carry. The 24-year-old was also able to flex his pass-catching ability in the contest, notching a pair of receptions, which was tied for the second most on the team. Saylors impressed enough to stick around for another week as he continues to battle for a spot on Detroit's 53-man roster.
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Jacob Saylors: Headed for free agency
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Saylors was waived by the Browns on Monday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealerreports.
Saylors joined Cleveland after being let go by the Giants on Aug. 11. He'd also spent time in camp with the Bengals and on the Falcons' practice squad in 2023 after going undrafted out of East Tennessee State, and he'd rushed for 461 yards at an impressive 4.9 yards per carry while adding a 23-152 receiving line for the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks this past spring.
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Jacob Saylors: Sidelined by injury
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Saylors (undisclosed) was placed on the Falcons' practice squad injured list Monday, Terrin Waack of the team's official site reports.
Saylors will now be out for the next four weeks and be ineligible to practice with the team or be elevated to the active roster. The East Tennessee State product joined Atlanta on Oct. 18 after failing to stick with the Bengals out of training camp.
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Jacob Saylors: Waived by Cincinnati
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The Bengals waived Saylors on Tuesday.
Saylors signed with Cincinnati as an undrafted free agent in May, but he couldn't land a roster spot with the team. He'll now seek out other opportunities ahead of the 2023 season.
