The Kansas City Chiefs are banking on their ground game getting a serious upgrade this season—and training camp is gonna be the first test to see if they’re on the right track.

The run game was flat-out rough last year. Kansas City finished 22nd in total rushing yards with just 1,790 yards and ranked 29th in yards per carry at a sad 4.0. That’s not gonna cut it when you’ve got defenses keying in on Patrick Mahomes and daring you to run the rock.

The lack of balance handcuffed the offense. The Chiefs ended up 15th in total points—a steep drop-off for a squad that’s used to lighting up the scoreboard like the Fourth of July.

And believe it or not, Kareem Hunt, who didn’t even sign with KC until Week 4, ended up leading the team in rushing. He carried it 200 times for 728 yards and seven tuddies. His 3.6 yards per carry wasn’t pretty, but when you realize 500 of those yards came after contact—nearly 70 percent of his total yards—it’s clear he was out there dragging defenders like luggage.

Hunt did what he could, but the line didn’t exactly make life easy. If the Chiefs want any shot at a more balanced offense in 2025, they need their front five to hold up better in the trenches.

Still, the plan this time around is to get back to letting Isiah Pacheco eat.

Isiah Pacheco Has a Ton to Prove at Chiefs Training Camp

Pacheco, a seventh-round gem from 2022, is in the last year of his rookie deal and set to make just $1.1 million. You know he’s got that contract-year chip on his shoulder and is looking to cash in—whether that’s in KC or somewhere else.

He had a breakout season in 2023 with 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, and looked like the real deal. But 2024 threw him a curveball. An ankle injury in Week 2 knocked him out until Week 13, and he only managed 83 carries for 310 yards and one score the whole year.

Now he’s back and hungry to prove he’s still that dude.

The backfield’s more crowded than ever. Hunt’s still hanging around, and the Chiefs brought in Elijah Mitchell to stir the pot. Altogether, there are six backs fighting for snaps—and that makes training camp a pressure cooker.

Pacheco’s got the juice. He’s physical, runs angry, and brings that energy you can’t coach. But the Chiefs aren’t handing him anything. He’s gotta show he’s back to form and ready to carry the load again.

If he can prove he’s the guy, KC’s run game could finally match the firepower of their passing attack. If not, he might find himself in a rotation—or worse, looking over his shoulder.