The amount of notable running back moves that the Kansas City Chiefs have made this week has climbed to two. After signing former 49er Elijah Mitchell, Kareem Hunt was re-signed on Friday to a one-year deal.
Neither running back was signed for a lot of money on the open market. Part of that is due to wear and tear, past injuries, and probably the overall age of the backfield in Kansas City. Those factors make these set of running back transactions a bit head scratching. The Chiefs were viewed by many to likely add more explosiveness and youth to the offensive skill positions this offseason. Only a few of the boxes that come with those categories were checked by the Mitchell and Hunt moves.
What do these running back deals tell us, if anything, about the current state of the Kansas City backfield? The Chiefs may simply have their bases covered on the margins before a specific week arrives.
Where Mitchell and Hunt can provide a spark
Mitchell can be fairly effective in between the tackles. Staying healthy has really been the biggest hurdle for him to overcome. If the former San Francisco rusher is going to have any impact in the Chiefs’ offense, it is likely to come on gap runs, and possibly in short yardage situations.
As for Hunt, we saw that he could still offer consistency as a pass catcher or pass protector in 2024. Having the ability to add something on passing downs has generally been a staple for this regime when giving snaps to running backs. Overall, Hunt is also effective on short yardage situations. His skill set has always been tougher for defenses to handle in the red zone, where he should remain the team’s top option down low.
What kind of internal belief is there for Pacheco?
The status of Isiah Pacheco is fascinating to monitor entering the 2025 season. He grew into a key part of the offense after being a former seventh-round pick. But last season, a nasty injury took him off the field for over two months. And when he came back, there was just no rhythm that he gained post-injury.
Like Mitchell and Hunt, Pacheco is only signed through 2025, with this upcoming campaign being the final year of his rookie deal. Kansas City likely still views him as a piece that can add to both the run game and the pass game. Though, last year’s injury was not the first that he has dealt with the last couple of years. Do the Chiefs think they need to limit his carries in Pacheco’s fourth season? The status of the Rutgers product is in a bit of an awkward state amid the current running back depth chart. That goes for both the short-term and the long-term.
Fairly good options should not preclude you from still adding potentially greater options
Speaking of the short-term and the long-term, the Chiefs are operating with Carson Steele being the only running back name available for 2026. And overall, he likely fits a more hybrid fullback role in the offense. Kansas City is stockpiled with good, yet not great, options at the running back position.
This week’s moves should not preclude them from adding another running back option. For instance, that other option may potentially be a greater fixture long-term, while also possessing a higher ceiling. This year’s NFL Draft does not quite offer the deep offensive talent like recent years. However, the running back position is filled with numerous intriguing options to possibly select in April.
Arrowhead Addict has already churned out plenty of running back draft profiles this offseason. Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson are just a pair of names that Chiefs fans have their eyes on come draft time. If K.C. lets these latest two running back moves stop them from drafting a running back from this deep class, it would be puzzling. At some point, the Chiefs should still look to pull the trigger on one of this year’s talented runners with a draft selection.
