Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes were dealt yet another blow early in the 2024 NFL season. Shortly after celebrating a hard-fought win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs found out back Isiah Pacheco suffered a serious injury.
After leaving Arrowhead in a walking boot and crutches, the running back underwent X-rays, which revealed he fractured his fibula. This is obviously a huge loss for Mahomes, but Reid made it clear he believes in the Chiefs’ alternatives.
“We’ll go with the guys that we have here for now,” Reid told reporters on Monday. “Veach is going through his lists and looking at people. We’ll just see where that goes, but we’re blessed to have some good people here.”
With Adam Schefter of ESPN reporting Pacheco will likely end up on injured reserve, the Chiefs expect the 25-year-old to be out for at least four weeks. Reid, however, has already warned Pacheco’s return could take longer: “It won’t be this week and it’ll probably be more than that.”
In the meantime, the head coach let everyone know that, for the time being, Mahomes will have to rely on the Chiefs’ current options at the position. Even if general manager Brett Veach explores other names, Reid appears to trust in those who are already in Kansas City: “I have confidence in them. I just haven’t experienced it with them.”
Andy Reid believes in Chiefs’ options at running back
With Pacheco injured, the Chiefs will be turning their attention to Carson Steele and Samaje Perine. Both of these players moved to Kansas City ahead of the 2024 NFL season, with the former joining the team as an undrafted free agent while the latter arrived shortly after being cut by the Denver Broncos.
Reid seems to be particularly intrigued by Steele, even if he’s a fullback: “He likes to be challenged. This will be a good challenge for him. He needs to keep the ball high and tight. He had the fumble yesterday. He doesn’t have a history of that. He has to learn from it.”
Perine, on the other hand, is a seasoned running back who played with Joe Burrow on the Cincinnati Bengals before a short stint with Russell Wilson in Denver. He joined the Chiefs to boost the special teams unit, but it looks like he’ll be embracing a bigger role now.
Other options Kansas City has at running back are Keaontay Ingram and Emani Bailey, who are on the practice squad. In the meantime, Clyde Edwards-Helaire remains on injured reserve and won’t be eligible for at least two more weeks.