Chiefs Could Be In Market For RBs

With Isiah Pacheco finding himself unavailable due to injury, the Chiefs are reportedly exploring the trade market options at the position, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. There are several different options that could be attractive to Kansas City.

While featured backs like Breece Hall and Alvin Kamara are seemingly on the market, the Chiefs haven’t really had a true featured back since Patrick Mahomes and Kareem Hunt‘s rookie year, when Hunt carried the ball 272 times and the next running back had 18 carries. Ever since that 2017 campaign, Kansas City hasn’t seen a 1,000-yard rusher, nor has it seen a single back dominate the team’s carries like Hunt did. The Chiefs have, instead, operated with a stable of backs, and that doesn’t seem likely to change now.

Even without Pacheco, there are familiar names of backs the team drafted years ago on the roster. Hunt has been RB2 in Kansas City after returning last year, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire is currently on the team’s practice squad. Behind Hunt, rookie seventh-round pick Brashard Smith and Elijah Mitchell sit on the active roster, though Mitchell has been inactive for every game this year. Hunt has mostly split carries with Pacheco in the run game, and Smith has established a role as a third-down back, utilizing his skills as a receiver, the position he originally played in college before transitioning to running back after transferring to SMU.

So, what kind of options fit in with Kansas City’s approach to the position? After taking a pay cut and watching two rookies pass him up on the depth chart, Jerome Ford could find his way to Kansas City via trade. In the same division, Justice Hill has been a staple in Baltimore since being drafted, mostly for working as if no job is too small. The Ravens have been making a concerted effort to find more touches for third-year back Keaton Mitchell, though, and with Derrick Henry as the featured rusher, Hill may be seen as superfluous in Baltimore’s backfield.

In the NFC, two recently demoted backs could be available. In Carolina, Chuba Hubbard missed some time due to injury and watched Rico Dowdle take the offense by storm and move into the starting role. Philadelphia traded for Tank Bigsby out of Jacksonville, relegating former Packers RB2 AJ Dillon to a fourth-string role. As a power back, Dillon probably makes the most sense to replace Pacheco in the rotation, but as a Super Bowl adversary in two of the past three years, the Eagles may not be super willing to make a trade that could improve the Chiefs this year.

Breer’s report came only this morning, so more clues may make headlines in the days to come indicating what direction Kansas City is looking in. News of Pacheco’s injury is only three days old itself, and there may be no need for a trade if his outlook improves in the next few days. For now, Hunt and Smith will take on larger roles in the backfield, and Mitchell may make his 2025 debut.