Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco tries to run through a Cincinnati tackle attempt … (+)
After suffering a lower leg injury in Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was in tears.
When Reid spoke to the media on Monday, the running back was still being examined, but Reid had already spoken to him twice on Sunday evening.
“It’s tough,” Reid said. “I think he’s in a better place.”
Pacheco’s feelings were understandable considering he is expected to be placed on the injured list with a fibula injury and will be out for at least four weeks.
Reid declined to confirm the nature of the injury.
“For Pacheco, I don’t have a time frame. I know it won’t be this week,” he said. “It’s going to take a little while there.”
In Sunday’s 26-25 win, Pacheco led all players with 90 rushing yards. Before the second week Monday Night Football In the game, he ranks 14th in NFL rushing with 34 carries and 135 rushing yards.
He has been a key part of the offense in both games this season. In the first game, Pacheco’s hard run, which helped Patrick Mahomes push the ball forward, allowed him to score from one yard out in the third quarter.
“He fought through it and ended up scoring a touchdown,” Reid said. “He’s a tough kid.”
Replacement for Pacheco
Without Pacheco, the Chiefs will likely have to rely on Carson Steele, an undrafted rookie free agent, and Samaje Perine, whom the Chiefs signed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with $290,000 guaranteed after his release from the Denver Broncos.
“We are fortunate to have some good people here,” Reid said.
Steele, a training camp sensation who was not expected to make the active roster – let alone get any significant action – like Pacheco, a seventh-round pick in 2022, is on a cheap rookie contract.
In the win against the Cincinnati Bengals, Steele ran for three first downs and gained 24 yards, but also fumbled in the second quarter.
“In this league, you have to keep the ball close to your body. He was down low and had both hands on it, but the ball goes up and all of a sudden it gets knocked away,” Reid said. “He came back and ran hard for us.”
Reid noted that the former Ball State/UCLA running back, who will now be in the spotlight more, never committed a fumble in college or in the preseason.
“He has to go the extra mile in this role,” said Reid. “It will be a great challenge for him.”
Other injury problems
Pacheco would be the second offensive starter to be placed on the injured list.
The Chiefs’ most notable free agent signing of the offseason was receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, whom Kansas City signed to a one-year, $7 million deal. He likely would have been a starter but hasn’t played this season since injuring his shoulder in the first preseason game.
With surgery scheduled for Monday to repair his dislocated SC joint, he could miss the entire season.
“Everyone involved felt it would be a little too risky for him to continue playing without the surgery,” said Rick Burkholder, the Chiefs’ vice president of sports medicine and performance.
In addition to Brown and Pacheco, backup running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a first-round pick in 2020, is also on the injured list due to mental health issues.
“That’s part of the equation,” Reid said. “We know he’s there. He’s just not available to us for the next few weeks.”
Perhaps most significantly, the Chiefs will miss the power that Pacheco brings. When the Chiefs’ offense was sluggish during Pacheco’s two-plus year tenure, they often relied on the hard-running back to provide a jolt.
“We all follow Pacheco’s energy. He’s the energy booster out there,” Reid said. “Nobody likes playing more than him.”
