While the Nov. 4 trade deadline is still three weeks away, there has already been plenty of activity in the NFL. Three deals have taken place this week: Joe Flacco went from Cleveland to Cincinnati, while the Ravens and Chargers swapped defenders, and the Browns and Jaguars exchanged cornerbacks. That’s just the beginning, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who hears that there will be upward of a dozen more trades before the deadline.
The Chiefs, three-time Super Bowl winners and five-time AFC champions since 2019, have been aggressive at the deadline during their marvelous Patrick Mahomes–Andy Reid run. Months before their latest Super Bowl berth, they swung two pre-deadline deals in October 2024, bringing in wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and pass rusher Joshua Uche. A year later, general manager Brett Veach is in the market for help at running back, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report. Veach will face competition from the division-rival Chargers, who are also looking to address their backfield.
While the Chiefs rank a respectable 12th in rushing yards per game (120.0), Mahomes has done more damage than their backs. The future Hall of Fame signal-caller leads the team in rushing yards (190) and has averaged a lofty 6.8 per attempt. Meanwhile, RBs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have hovered around the 4.0 yards-per-carry mark during a sluggish 2-3 start for Kansas City. Neither player has served as a bell cow this season.
Pacheco, who missed 10 regular-season games in 2024 with a fractured fibula, has amassed 163 yards on 39 carries in 2025. Veach was unwilling to authorize a Pacheco extension during the offseason, and his stock hasn’t gone up since then. After re-signing on a one-year, $1.5MM deal last March, Hunt has picked up a so-so 164 yards on 43 attempts, though he has added three touchdowns. With just eight carries through five games, rookie seventh-round pick Brashard Smith hasn’t been a factor.
The Chiefs were on the hunt for an RB trade in late August, though no deal transpired. Despite not making any preseason acquisitions, the Chiefs were reportedly “puzzled” by their mediocre rushing attack in late September. Now nearing mid-October, they’re still not content with their backfield options.
Speculatively, the Chiefs’ need for a running back could point them to the likes of Breece Hall (Jets), Alvin Kamara (Saints), and Jerome Ford (Browns). Those three are among the runners who have been part of trade rumors in advance of the deadline. Kamara is likely to remain a Saint, but Hall and Ford may be more obtainable as pending free agents on non-contending teams. It stands to reason that either or both backs could pique Kansas City’s interest, though Veach may have other ideas.
Hunt is past his expiration date and Pacheco ran so hard for them he may be burned out. Can’t win in the NFL if you can’t run the ball.