The Kansas City Chiefs will give rookie Carson Steele the first opportunity to take over Isiah Pacheco’s early-down role after the running back was injured Sunday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.
That is, if the Chiefs don’t decide to make a roster addition this week. And that might be a possibility, with NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reporting that KC would be bringing in former running back Kareem Hunt for a visit Tuesday.
Coach Andy Reid spoke to reporters Monday afternoon about the team’s running back situation after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the morning that Pacheco had broken his fibula and would “miss real time.”
Reid didn’t have a timeline for Pacheco’s injury but confirmed the third-year back would miss Sunday’s game at Atlanta and said it would “probably be more than that.”
“It’s going to take a little bit of time there,” Reid said.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Monday that Pacheco would “miss approximately 6-8 weeks” but should return this season.
Reid didn’t seem overly enthused about the options behind Pacheco.
That includes Steele, a rookie who impressed in training camp but had a costly lost fumble in Sunday’s game. Steele finished with seven carries for 24 yards.
The other possibility is veteran Samaje Perine, who was signed recently after being released by the Denver Broncos. Perine, who is still learning the playbook , was initially brought in to fill the team’s role as a third-down back who could pass protect and catch the ball out of the backfield.
Reid also revealed that Chiefs general manager Brett Veach was “going through his list and looking at people” regarding potential free agents at the position.
“We’ll just see where that goes,” Reid said. “But we’re blessed to have some good people here.”
Pacheco had been a workhorse for the Chiefs (and fantasy football owners) this year after working to improve his pass-catching ability in the offseason. Before his fourth-quarter injury Sunday, Pacheco had 19 rushes and five receptions.
When asked if he felt confident that either Steele or Perine could handle that kind of workload with Pacheco out, Reid didn’t seem overly enthusiastic.
“I would tell you I have confidence in them,” Reid said. “I just haven’t experienced it with them.”
The tone was a little more upbeat later when Reid was asked about Steele potentially moving into Pacheco’s top RB spot.
“He’s gonna have to step it up there in that role. But I think he likes to be challenged, and I think this will be a good challenge for him,” Reid said. “He’s obviously got to keep the ball high and tight. He had the fumble yesterday, and he doesn’t have a history of that. So he’s got to make sure he learns from that.”
In the long term, the Chiefs could also get roster help in three weeks.
Veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire was placed on the non-football illness list ahead of the season while experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder . Edwards-Helaire has remained around the Chiefs locker room and his teammates in recent weeks, and he’s eligible to return to the active roster Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints.
Reid said Edwards-Helaire’s potential availability was “part of the equation” while trying to resolve the position’s future.
“So we’ve got to just figure all of that out and see how all that fits in,” Reid said. “But we know he’s around. We just don’t have him available here for a couple more weeks.”
Pacheco was emotional in the locker room following the Chiefs’ 26-25 win Sunday, sporting a towel on his head with watery eyes. Reid made his way over to Pacheco at his locker and put his arm around Pacheco’s shoulder before heading to his own postgame news conference.
Reid said he talked to Pacheco twice on Sunday night, saying the running back was now in a “better place than he was” in terms of processing the injury.
“That’s tough,” Reid said. “I was talking to some kids that came over to our house after the game, and I said, ‘You know how sometimes you guys get emotional after you lose a game?’ And I said, ‘You don’t ever want to lose that.’ I mean, here’s a guy that loves to play the game. And so he had tears. He was emotional.”
Pacheco — the Chiefs selected him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft — led KC with 935 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns last season.
“It’s an emotional sport, and that kid,” Reid said, “nobody likes to play more than he likes to play.”
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