Detroit Lions · 2026
Who is Jahmyr Gibbs’s handcuff?
Explore the full Detroit Lions depth chart, player roles and draft history
The published backfield pick
Sione Vaki
Behind Jahmyr Gibbs · DET
Sione Vaki is the preferred candidate in the published analysis, but this backfield has committee uncertainty. An absence may spread work across more than one player.
Vaki is listed as RB2 on the Week 1 chart.
Handcuff score
Backup opportunity, not projected points or an injury probability.
Analysis published . Status and role notes reflect that board.
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If Jahmyr Gibbs misses time
Detroit’s Sept. 9 Week 1 depth chart lists Jahmyr Gibbs first, Sione Vaki second and Jacob Saylors third. Vaki is the evidence-backed replacement, though Saylors handles return work and could share touches.
Detroit’s Sept. 9 Week 1 depth chart lists Jahmyr Gibbs first, Sione Vaki second and Jacob Saylors third. Vaki is the evidence-backed replacement, though Saylors handles return work and could share touches.
Converted safety and special-teams ace used as a change-of-pace runner. Dan Campbell has explicitly called the RB2 job 'by committee,' so Vaki would split work rather than take over if Gibbs went down.
- availability_unverified
- close_scores
- stale_availability
- committee risk
Why this candidate scores here
Other candidates in this backfield
Jacob Saylors
early down · score 56/100
Candidates and scores are from the same published board. A split workload can limit the upside of any one backup.
The production behind the names
2025 regular season. Recorded production, not a projection. A missing stat line is not a zero.
| Player | Games with stats | Carries | Receptions | Total yards | PPR / game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 243 | 77 | 1839 | 21.6 |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0.1 |
Carries + receptions, last 6 recorded games in 2025
Carries + receptions, last 6 recorded games in 2025
Totals include all teams played for that season. Per-game averages use games with recorded stats. Source: nflverse player statistics.
Sources behind the analysis
Published analysis may use automated research. How evidence and recommendations are handled.
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