The Kansas City Chiefs have now completed their first two preseason practices. As expected, many of the clips from camp so far have centered around the wide receivers, with Rashee Rice returning and rookie Jalen Royals impressing early. That said, the running back room remains intriguing.
As it stands right now, Isiah Pacheco is the lead back, though he’s facing more scrutiny and competition than ever entering 2025. As a result, Pacheco was asked what he thought about the room following practice on Wednesday.
According to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports, Pacheco said,”It’s phenomenal. We’ve got guys that you can depend on. You’ve got guys playing all different roles and competing.”
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco on the RB room: “It’s phenomenal. We’ve got guys that you can depend on. You’ve got guys playing all different roles and competing.”
https://twitter.com/goldmctNFL/status/1948051874935919058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1948051874935919058%7Ctwgr%5E7e99e39b1cf7bb95a405c140026f85af48e8e057%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fkckingdom.com%2Fchiefs-rb-in-danger-seemingly-unbothered-competition-01k0w26xy99g
Isiah Pacheco Not Concerned with Crowded Running Back Room
Pacheco’s comments exude confidence, which is understandable. The former seventh-round pick has been the nominal RB1 in Kansas City’s backfield the past three seasons. Though he missed most of last year with a fractured fibula, he’s young and understands the Chiefs’ offense.
Still, it’s a bit shocking that the new additions at running back haven’t put some fear into Pacheco. This is especially true for veteran Elijah Mitchell. Although Mitchell has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his career, he has a level of explosiveness that Pacheco doesn’t possess. His two biggest hurdles are staying healthy and learning the Chiefs’ playbook.
Rookie Brashard Smith has serious dual-threat upside that could eventually vault him into the leading RB conversation as well. He’s a seventh-round pick, though, and is behind three veterans for the moment.
Veteran Kareem Hunt rounds out the backfield competition. Even though Hunt replaced Pacheco last season when he was injured, he was unlikely from the jump to be the starter in 2025. Last year, the 29-year-old showed that his speed was deteriorating with his age, and he wasn’t the fastest to begin with.
In 2024, Hunt rushed for 728 yards on 200 carries, which is an average of 3.6 yards per carry. A fully healthy Pacheco is better than Hunt at this stage in his career.
Nevertheless, the fact that Pacheco isn’t slightly worried about Mitchell impressing or Smith emerging and taking some of his snaps is surprising. Despite Chiefs Kingdom expecting Pacheco to be the starter, the fourth-year back should be, at the very least, trying to put together a good training camp to cement his spot over all the talent that was brought in.
