Kansas City Chiefs now have chance to land the perfect budget option to elevate DeMarco Murray’s running back room in 2026
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss could be the Kansas City Chiefs’ gain here.
The Kansas City Chiefs have to improve their running back room in 2026, and there’s now a new budget option on the table in 2026 NFL free agency after a recent report.
There’s little denying the backfield is going to look a whole lot different during the 2026 NFL season. Not only will they have the return of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and a new RBs coach in DeMarco Murray shaping the position group, but they’re also slated for some big personnel changes.
Isiah Pacheco is not expected back with the team, and it remains to be seen if Kareem Hunt will return for a 10th NFL season. As things currently stand with 2026 NFL free agency just days away, the Chiefs have just one player from their 2025 backfield under contract for the next season (Brashard Smith) and another RB under contract (ShunDerrick Powell) who has never played an NFL game.
While the Chiefs have been connected to Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker and Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr., they don’t just need the main guy. They need depth and tertiary pieces to bring into the fold as well.
Buccaneers RB Sean Tucker won’t be tendered, and he makes a ton of sense for the Chiefs
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to move on from two of their key contributors in their backfield over the past two seasons: Rachaad White and Sean Tucker.
White has been connected to the Chiefs because he’s from Kansas City, but Tucker should be connected because of his cost and his fit with the coaching staff. A former undrafted free agent out of Syracuse in 2023, Tucker broke out over the past two seasons with 153 touches for 771 yards, 39 first downs, and 11 total touchdowns. That includes two single-game performances with over 100 rushing yards (at Buffalo, at New Orleans). He received quite a few opportunities in the backfield in 2025 when Bucky Irving dealt with an injury. The 24-year-old also has amassed 41 kick returns for 1,007 yards over the past two seasons in the NFL, providing immediate value on special teams for Dave Toub as a kick return specialist.
He’s listed at a hair under 5-foot-10 and 207 pounds, boasting a low-center-of-gravity bowling-ball rushing style that Eric Bieniemy and Andy Reid have seemed to favor in the past. He runs tough, with exceptional contact balance, but he also boasts good vision and knows how to follow his blocks. He did a really nice job on short-yardage and in the red zone for Tampa Bay last season, and was never afraid to bounce a run outside if a lane closed up on him.
The Chiefs undoubtedly need to invest some free agency dollars into improving their running back group, but this is the type of low-cost investment that could really pay off. The right-of-first-refusal tender would’ve cost the Bucs $3.5 million. I anticipate that teams will value Tucker below that mark and wouldn’t be shocked to see him bet on himself and sign an incentive-laden one-year contract with a high-profile team like Kansas City.
Kansas City Chiefs News
KC Chiefs’ updated salary cap space projection after Trent McDuffie trade opens exciting new possibilities in free agency
The Kansas City Chiefs went from the worst salary cap situation in the NFL to the middle of the pack very quickly.
