If there was any doubt about Kareem Hunt's role for the Kansas City Chiefs moving forward, that doubt should now be alleviated.
Speaking to media members on Monday, Chiefs HC Andy Reid was asked about Hunt's performance against the New Orleans Saints in Week 5. Hunt had 27 carries on the day, touching the ball more than anyone not named Patrick Mahomes and Creed Humphrey.
Asked whether that amount of carries was sustainable, Reid suggested the bye week had some influence on their decision to pound the rock. He also suggested that Hunt is in good enough shape to handle the potential wear and tear.
"Yeah, I kind of joked with him that he'd spend the bye week in the cold tub, you know, after all those carries," Reid said. "But, yeah, I told you — I mentioned before that he came back in pretty good shape, other than not having played football, and that's held true, to this point.
"So, he's been able to do a good job in practice when he was on the scout team, and then he worked through that, and he was able to get in the game. And we started him off relatively slow, but then increased it, and he was able to handle both those things. So, I think we'll just see how the game goes. But I feel comfortable with him carrying the ball, and we've got (Carson) Steele backing him up there, and he got he had a few carries that were productive."
Is 27 carries something to expect from Hunt every week? Probably not. Will they trust him to do so if necessary? Absolutely.
To put it all into perspective, Week 5 against the Saints marked Hunt's first 100-yard rushing day since Week 9 of the 2020 NFL season. His 27 carries that week were the most carries by a Chiefs running back since Hunt was a rookie in Kansas City in 2017. He's only ever had 27 or more carries two other times during his career, but those both came as a rookie with the Chiefs in 2017.
The Chiefs appear more than willing to make Hunt a focal point in the offense again , just as he was in 2017 and 2018 . It's one way to counter the injuries to WRs Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice, and starting RB Isiah Pacheco. It also allows a rookie like Carson Steele to take a back seat and learn while giving a veteran like Samaje Perine a change-of-pace role. Reid, Matt Nagy, and Mahomes all have a certain level of comfort with Hunt, which also plays a big factor.
"Kareem (Hunt), obviously, has been away for a while, but he was able to pick everything up quickly," Reid said. "And he and Pat (Mahomes) are very good friends. They've stayed in touch throughout the years here. So you know, he was welcomed back in. Yeah, you have that part of it, the comfort part, you're welcomed back in and to get things rolling and that opens up another avenue there for them, psychologically."
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