Tracy Wolfson confirms suspicions about Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco’s injury recovery timeline — and how they’ll handle it in Week 9
A scoop from CBS’ lead sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson on the Chiefs’ running back situation.
The Kansas City Chiefs seem to have lucked out with starting RB Isiah Pacheco’s knee injury.
Pacheco suffered a sprained MCL during the final minutes of the fourth quarter against the Commanders. After the training staff examined Pacheco on the sideline, it was clear that the injury wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Still, the recovery timeline for the MCL sprains can vary depending on the severity and grade. On the long end, Pacheco could miss up to six weeks. On the short end, he could miss as few as two weeks.
In a recent conversation with Chiefs HC Andy Reid, CBS Sports lead sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson confirmed that Pacheco’s recovery timeline is on the short end of that range. She says that Pacheco “should be back after the bye week.”
That’d mean that Pacheco only misses a single game, which would be ideal for what has really become an effective three-headed rushing attack of Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Brashard Smith. The fact that Pacheco could return for Week 11 against the Denver Broncos also could play a role in Brett Veach’s decisions at the position come the NFL trade deadline.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is part of the Chiefs’ running back plans on Sunday vs. the Bills
The Chiefs will be without Pacheco in Week 9 against the Bills, but it doesn’t sound like offseason free agent signing Elijah Mitchell will be called upon in his absence. Kansas City elevated former first-round RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire from the practice squad on Saturday, signaling that he could be active in Buffalo.
Wolfson’s conversation with Reid suggests that he will, in fact, be active.
“Expect Kareem Hunt, Brashard Smith, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire to carry the load,” Wolfson wrote.
Edwards-Helaire is not required to be made active just because he was elevated from the practice squad. The team may find a way to make Mitchell and Edwards-Helaire active. Comments from Reid on Friday also suggest that Edwards-Helaire could be active instead of Mitchell.
One specific reason Edwards-Helaire could be active over Mitchell is his mastery of the Chiefs’ protection schemes. While neither player is getting an outsized portion of snaps in practice to this point, Edwards-Helaire has years of experience as the starter in this system. If Edwards-Helaire is active over Mitchell on Sunday, it’ll speak to the trust and comfort level with coaches more than anything else.
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