The Kansas City Chiefs earned a walk-off win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 to improve to 2-0 on the season, but the victory came at a cost. The Chiefs lost starting running back Isiah Pacheco to a fractured fibula.
Pacheco’s injury occurred when the third-year running back bent back awkwardly while being tackled on a 1-yard run in the final minutes of the game. He left the field and exited the stadium on crutches and in a walking boot.
Pacheco is set to miss 6-8 weeks because of the injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That will sideline him at least until Kansas City’s Week 9 date with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 4, so the Chiefs will need to create a suitable running back rotation to complement Patrick Mahomes until then.
The Chiefs already are missing backup Clyde Edwards-Helaire, as he landed on the NFI (non-football injury/illness) list before the season and will be out through at least Week 4. That leaves the Chiefs with just two healthy backs on their 53-man roster, and neither has been a three-down starter in the NFL to date.
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That’s part of the reason that the Chiefs signed veteran running back Kareem Hunt to their practice squad on Tuesday. They needed to add depth to their thinning backfield.
Chiefs RB depth chart after Isiah Pacheco injury
The Chiefs have just two healthy running backs on their 53-man roster after Pacheco’s injury. They are:
Samaje Perine
Carson Steele
Perine is an eight-year veteran whom the Chiefs signed before the season after his release from the Denver Broncos. Perine has developed into a quality third-down back, so he figures to see plenty of action in pass-catching situations and as a do-it-all threat out of the backfield.
That said, Steele may be ahead of Perine in the rotation as a between-the-tackles runner. The undrafted rookie logged nine carries for 27 yards in the first two games while Perine’s only touches came on two receptions for 13 yards. That may indicate that Andy Reid wants to use Steele on early downs and Perine in passing situations.
Either way, those two figure to handle the bulk of Kansas City’s workload, though the Chiefs will still need a third back for game day duties.
Kansas City has a few candidates for that role on its practice squad. The team could call up Keaontay Ingram — a 2022 sixth-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals who has 134 yards and a touchdown on 62 career carries — or Emani Bailey, an undrafted free agent from TCU, to serve as a third-string option behind Perine and Steele.
They also could call up Hunt, who the team signed to its practice squad after his visit on Tuesday. His status may depend on whether the Chiefs believe he is in game shape or will need a week or two of practice to get up to speed on the team’s offense.
Chiefs sign Kareem Hunt to practice squad, per report
The Chiefs brought veteran running back Kareem Hunt in for a visit on Tuesday. Evidently, they liked what they saw, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Kansas City signed the 29-year-old Hunt to its practice squad.
Kansas City originally selected Hunt in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft, and he led the NFL in rushing yards during his rookie season with 1,327. It looked like he was going to be a star for the Chiefs, but he was released during the 2018 season after a video of him throwing a woman to the ground and kicking her emerged.
Hunt signed with the Cleveland Browns during the 2019 offseason and remained there for the next five seasons. He primarily served as a complimentary player behind Nick Chubb and only eclipsed 1,000 scrimmage yards once.
Still, Hunt provides the Chiefs with some needed backfield experience. He has 1,030 career carries, which is nearly double the amount that Perine, Steele, Ingram and Bailey have combined (525).
And while Hunt’s 411 yards on 135 carries during the 2023 season aren’t overly impressive, he scored nine rushing touchdowns for the Browns. That could allow him to carve out a goal-line role in Kansas City.