The Chicago Bears seek to add reinforcements to their roster as they look to win back-to-back NFC North titles. The Detroit Lions are one of the teams that will stand in its way, but they let a quality contributor leave on Monday in Roy Lopez, who decided to join the Arizona Cardinals, which seems like a mistake for Detroit.
The Lions have continued to make moves that will be praised in the Windy City. NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that Detroit will sign running back Isiah Pacheco. He'll step in as their RB2 and take over the void that was created when David Montgomery got traded away.
And based on how the last two seasons have gone for Pacheco, the Bears should be thrilled he's joining their division rivals.
Isiah Pacheco Joining Lions Shouldn’t Have Bears Worried
After two solid seasons to start his career off, things took a turn for the worse in 2024. Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals. He ended up missing 10 games and finished the season with 310 rushing yards and one score.
Things didn't get better last season either, as Pacheco seemed like he had lost the burst that he previously had. The Rutgers product got hurt again, this time dealing with a sprained MCL. He was sidelined for four games, but whenever he was on the field, he was ineffective.
In 13 games, Pacheco had 462 rushing yards (3.9 yards per carry) and one score. Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis revealed that out of 49 running backs in 2025 with 100+ carries, Pacheco was ranked 46th in explosive run rate (3.4%), 47th in longest rush (16 yds on 118 att), 47th in success rate (29.7%), and 38th in YPC (3.9). To make matters worse, he had the league's highest light box rate and lowest rate of 7+ and 8+ defenders in the box last season.
Pacheco doesn't have the same juice he had, and he posted back-to-back underwhelming seasons. Considering how good Montgomery was in Detroit, this is a major downgrade for Detroit. And that's a win for the Bears.
The Lions went from having one of the best 1-2 punches at running back in the league to a big question mark at RB2. Pacheco looks slower after injuries in 2023 and 2024. He doesn't look like a playmaker that can be trusted and that works in Chicago's favor.
The Lions are looking to catch Chicago in the division but the decision to roll with Pacheco as their backup is something that will come back to bite them.
The Bears have added juice to their defense with the additions of Bryant and Bush. Meanwhile, their foe downgraded significantly at running back. This move shouldn't make anyone in Chicago uneasy. In fact, they should applaud Detroit for going down this route instead.