The Chiefs offense has not been lower than sixth in total yards or points scored since Patrick Mahomes quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, took over in 2018. Mahomes’ weakest position in KC is at the running back.
Chiefs training camp reports that the club may have finally found a replacement for Kareem Hunt after years of unsuccessfully searching. Isiah Pacheco, a seventh-round pick from Rutgers is receiving rave reviews and could quickly rise up the Chiefs depth charts.
It looked as if Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt would be the Chiefs’ long-term QB/RB pairing. After the season, video showed Hunt engaging in a physical altercation. Hunt was then accused of another assault, and the Chiefs quickly released him.
After signing with the Cleveland Browns, the NFL suspended the running back.
The Chiefs attempted to fill Hunt’s gab with all kinds of backs after Hunt was released. Damien Williams and LeSean McCoy, Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson all had double-digit carry seasons in the three years that followed.
These backs could not match or surpass Hunt’s 824 rush yards in 2018, however.
Andy Reid and his company are looking to transform the Chiefs offense in 2022 following the departure of Tyreek Hills. According to recent Chiefs training camp reports, it appears that the team has finally found its new franchise running back.
Albert Breer, Sports Illustrated’s editor, was highly impressed by Chiefs’ seventh-round pick from Rutgers, Isiah Pacheco, after he visited the camp.
Breer called Pacheco “a name to watch” for 2022. Breer also stated that Pacheco is a “name to watch” in 2022.
Pacheco was the 22nd drafted RB in the 2022 NFL Draft. His NFL.com draft scouting report described Pacheco, a 23-year-old New Jersey resident, as a “hard-charging and high-energy runner with three down size.” He also said that Pacheco “plays the game like an open-wheel race car without brakes.”
It won’t be an easy path for the former Scarlett Knight to become the Chiefs RB1 on their depth chart. The Chiefs training camp RB field has a lot of people.
Edwards-Helaire and Gore are all competing to be on the Chiefs depth chart.
Pacheco’s advantage in the positional battle at Chiefs Training Camp is that both the team and their fans know most of these players. Edwards-Helaire may be talented, but he is not very reliable or durable. Jones and Gore are solid, but not spectacular. McKinnon can be a good pass-catcher and Ealy, Fleet-Davis and others were probably not drafted for that reason.
The Chiefs will have another high-powered offense in 2022 with Patrick Mahomes at the center. It could be the perfect dynamic for the Chiefs to return to the top of their league, and possibly even the Super Bowl, if Isiah Pacheco can make a comeback and become Kareem Hunter.