Andy Reid thinks a healthy Isiah Pacheco, Elijah Mitchell can be part of the solution to Chiefs' running back problems
The Kansas City Chiefs have a running back problem, but Andy Reid hopes things will be different for some of the team's players in 2025. The Chiefs are in the middle of the second-longest active 1,000-yard rusher drought in the NFL, coming in just behind the New York Jets, who haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have a running back problem, but Andy Reid hopes things will be different for some of the team's players in 2025.
The Chiefs are in the middle of the second-longest active 1,000-yard rusher drought in the NFL, coming in just behind the New York Jets, who haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher in a decade. The last time Kansas City had a running back go over 1,000 yards rushing in a single season was 2017, when Kareem Hunt lit the league on fire as a rookie alongside Alex Smith.
Since Patrick Mahomes took over as the starter in 2018, the Chiefs' running game has been mostly an afterthought to their dynamic passing attack. The lack of explosion in the running game started catching up to them in 2024 when RB Isiah Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula just two weeks into the season.
That injury thrust the team into a backup plan that featured Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine but lacked an explosive element. The Chiefs ended 2024 tied with the Los Angeles Rams for the fewest runs of 20 or more yards, with only two runs of 20+ yards.
Andy Reid hopes things will change in 2025 as Pacheco and new addition Elijah Mitchell seek to bounce back from injuries.
The health of Chiefs' running backs Isiah Pacheco, Elijah Mitchell will be key in 2025
While Pacheco did return from his injury in Week 13, Reid indicated to reporters at the NFL's annual meetings in West Palm Beach, Florida, that No. 10 had rushed his return to the field.
“I think he’ll be even better this year,” Reid said of Pacheco, via KC Star reporter Jesse Newell. “He was forcing that thing coming back. Most guys probably wouldn’t have come back (from his injury), but if you know him for about a minute, you’ll know that he wasn’t going to be held back. So I think you’ll get even a better player this year.”
With a potential three-peat in sight, Pacheco wouldn't sit on the sidelines even if he hadn't fully regained his explosiveness. While he was cleared to play with little risk of reinjury, it impacted his game and his ability to be the same effective rusher he had been years prior.
“He was physically OK to go. But when you’re looking at it, it’s minute stuff,” Reid said. “Just maybe that ability to cut as quick as he did before. Now, it’s still quick, but you’re talking inches here. Was it what he could do before? Well, it wasn’t.”
“He was getting better every week, and I think you’ll just see him back to what he was before," Reid concluded.
Another aspect to consider is that Pacheco is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He has every reason to make 2025 his best year yet. As the great Terez Paylor used to exclaim, "The contract year is undefeated."
Rectifying the Chiefs' issues at running back won't only be on Pacheco, though. The Chiefs added another running back coming off an injury this offseason: former San Francisco 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell. The 26-year-old says he's healthy after missing the entire 2024 NFL season due to a hamstring injury.
Reid anticipates that Mitchell will add some much-needed juice and versatility to the team's rushing attack.
“He’s got a little quickness and speed,” Reid said of Mitchell. “He also has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and or flex him out to catch the ball. When he was healthy, he did a great job (for the 49ers).”
Why stop there, though? A backfield of Pacheco, Hunt, and Mitchell might not be sustainable for the entire 2025 NFL season, given that running back is a position group frequently dealing with injuries. The Chiefs could still seek to add running back talent in the 2025 NFL draft, taking advantage of what is regarded as a historically deep class.
Chiefs unleash the perfect April Fools’ Day prank by altering Andy Reid’s iconic look in a photo from NFL annual meetings
A pretty good April Fools’ Day joke from the Kansas City Chiefs.
