The Kansas City Chiefs’ running back room could look very different during the 2026 NFL season after an inneffective and frustrating 2025 campaign.

The Chiefs finished the 2025 NFL season ranked 25th in the league in rush yards per game at 106.6. The team’s 1.6 yards after contact per attempt tied for the second worst mark in the league. They also had the fewest broken tackles in the NFL this season at 14. Kansas City really struggled to generate successful and explosive running plays on first and second down, but were very efficient in third- and fourth-down scenarios thanks to Kareem Hunt being nearly automatic at short-yardage.

While Eric Bieniemy’s return should help the run game get back on track, they’ve also got a new position coach in DeMarco Murray. Reshaping the room in his image would best set him up for success during his first foray into NFL coaching. With multiple players at the position slated for 2026 NFL free agency, the Chiefs could be looking at a complete overhaul of their running back room.

Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco headline Chiefs’ pending free agents in 2026

The Chiefs’ leading running backs from the 2025 NFL season are both slated to be unrestricted free agents in 2026. The former seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Isiah Pacheco, will have completed his rookie contract. He’s struggled to return to form after his 2024 injury and seemed to hit a wall in his development under former Chiefs RBs coach Todd Pinkston. Meanwhile, Kareem Hunt only signed a one-year agreement for 2025 after returning to Kansas City around the midseason mark in 2024. Dameon Pierce, who the team signed to the practice squad late in the season and later promoted to the 53-man roster due to injuries, is also a pending free agent.

Of this group, Hunt is the likeliest to return given two factors. The first being OC Eric Bieniemy, who was Hunt’s running backs coach during his lone 1,000-yard rushing season as a rookie in 2017. Bieniemy reportedly wanted Hunt to join him with Chicago Bears in 2025. The other factor here is cost. In 2025, Hunt signed a one-year deal worth up to $2.5 million. That’s something that Kansas City could easily replicate so long as they have a clear and defined role for Hunt as a short-yardage and red zone specialist and not a bellcow running back.

The Chiefs don’t have many replacement options on the 90-man roster

The Chiefs currently have only two players at the running back position under contract for the 2026 NFL season.

• Brashard Smith
• ShunDerrick Powell

Smith, a seventh-round pick out of SMU in the 2025 NFL Draft, is the only player on the roster with any sort of NFL experience. Even then, he’ll be in what is his third season playing the running back position after playing wide receiver for the early goings of his college career. His path to a bigger role in 2026 is clear: Adding more weight and strength to reshape his body from that of a wide receiver to a running back.

Powell is a player the Chiefs brought in on a top-30 visit last year, but he didn’t catch on with a team after going undrafted. He’s very much an unknown commodity at this point and should be viewed as nothing more than a training camp body until proven otherwise.

Kansas City must invest in the running back position in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft

Even if the Chiefs do bring back Kareem Hunt for a relatively low-cost investment in 2026, they’ll still need further investment in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft.

Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker stands alone as the prize of free agency at the running back position, but the truth is that there are plenty of different options available. The Chiefs already passed on guys like Javonte Williams and Rico Dowdle during the 2025 free agency period. After successful seasons in 2025, both players are likely to be more expensive on the free agent market this year, which probably dissuades K.C. from getting involved.

Among the most intriguing options for Kansas City are Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne, New York Jets RB Breece Hall, and Atlanta Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier. Etienne has grown in popularity as an option for the Chiefs, with analysts citing his explosive playmaking ability as both a runner and a receiver. Hall, of course, was connected to the Chiefs during the NFL’s trade deadline this past year. Allgeier is one I expect to be a favorite of Andy Reid, simply because he’s the NFL’s all-time leader in consecutive touches without a fumble (737). He’s gone four NFL seasons without once putting the football on the ground.

As for the 2026 NFL Draft, fans will have to see how free agency plays out before truly knowing what’s possible. A substantial financial investment at the position could take Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love off the table at No. 9 overall, giving way to other options on Day 2 and Day 3.

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