While the legal tampering period for unrestricted free agents opened on Monday, the Green Bay Packers were one of only three NFC teams not to bring in any external help on the first day, the only two others being the winners of the last two Super Bowls in the Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks.
The Packers did finally make a move on Tuesday, albeit not an overly impactful one, by coming to terms on a two-year deal with cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, who spent the first four years of his pro career with the Washington Commanders before playing the 2025 campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Now, it's not as if the other three teams in the NFC North have made many genuinely high-profile signings either, at least not at the time of this writing, although the Chicago Bears did improve on defense by adding safety Coby Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush. And there's still a chance the Minnesota Vikings could add a new quarterback to either replace or at least compete with J.J. McCarthy, but we'll see what happens there.
As for the Detroit Lions, they filled a big need in acquiring center Cade Mays and added more O-line depth in signing Larry Borom, who can play both tackle spots. And on Tuesday, Dan Campbell's crew found a replacement for David Montgomery, who was recently traded to the Houston Texans, by signing two-time Super Bowl champion Isiah Pacheco to a one-year deal.
Isiah Pacheco is a solid signing for the Detroit Lions
A seventh-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2022 draft, Pacheco performed far better than anyone could have hoped for as a rookie, rushing for 830 yards and five touchdowns and adding another 130 yards on 10 receptions. The Rutgers alum was even better in his second season, rushing for 935 yards and seven scores and adding 244 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver.
Unfortunately, Pacheco suffered a fractured right fibula in Week 2 of the 2024 season, an injury that also came with some ankle ligament damage, and he really hasn't been the same since. He also missed some time this past season with a sprained right MCL.
Despite some setbacks and lower production over the last two years, this is a solid signing for the Lions, as Campbell doesn't need Pacheco to be a genuine RB1, as that role obviously belongs to Jahmyr Gibbs, who's made the Pro Bowl in each of his three seasons since Detroit took him in the first round of the 2023 draft at No. 12 overall.
All the Lions will likely need Pacheco to do is carry the ball maybe 10 times per game, if that. Pacheco has lost a little speed since his injury, but he still has no problem at getting physical. Truth be told, he geniuinely seems like the kind of player who would want to play for Dan Campbell and vice versa. So, again, while not the most high-profile acquisition, this is still a nice move for Detroit and still better than anything Green Bay has done thus far.