The Kansas City Chiefs’ rushing attack really failed them down the stretch as the teased two-headed monster that featured a healthy Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt never truly came to fruition.
In Super Bowl 59, Hunt and Pacheco were both shut down completely as neither ball carrier reached 10 rushing yards, but Pacheco struggled to regain his form in general after returning from injury. Perhaps, he rushed back onto the field too soon, and he’ll be back to his old self in 2025, but the concern is that the Chiefs have already seen the best of the former seventh-round breakout.
At age 30 in August, the same could certainly be said about Hunt — who is an unrestricted free agent this spring alongside veteran third down back Samaje Perine. Chiefs beat reporters Matt Derrick (Chiefs Digest) and Nick Jacobs (KSHB 41) discussed the KC running back room on the February 23 edition of their podcast, “41 is the Mic,” and both seemed to think that general manager Brett Veach could totally “overhaul” this position group in 2025.
Beginning with Perine, Jacobs noted that the Chiefs “goal” should be to find a more explosive third down back this offseason.
“Perine… for me, there’s not enough left in that tank, and you want to find younger and cheaper if you can,” Jacobs said.
As for Hunt, both Derrick and Jacobs admitted that they could see him returning if he’s willing to sign for the veteran minimum, but as much more of a depth and short-yardage piece than his 2024 role.
“But it wouldn’t stun me one bit if that’s where the Chiefs just kind of overhaul that overall running back position,” Jacobs concluded, proposing that they ditch Hunt and Perine in order to pair Pacheco with a new acquisition.
Strength of 2025 NFL Draft Class Could Solve Chiefs’ Need at Running Back
Considering Kansas City’s cap situation and roster needs in more important areas, Jacobs already appeared to be leaning toward solving the RB issue in the draft. But the fact that 2025 has been billed as the deepest running back class in years only pushed him further into that camp.
“This will be a very rich running back class in the draft,” he noted on the podcast. “So, investing at least one pick in that would be ideal and if you have to invest more [draft capital] in that, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. That’ll help the offense stay more consistent and be more balanced overall.”
That’s where the potential “overhaul” could occur. If Veach were to bring in two to three rookie ball carriers in either the draft and/or the UDFA market, with at least one early- to mid-round pick invested in the position, that could create a nice RB competition throughout the spring and summer.
In this scenario, Pacheco, Carson Steele and Keaontay Ingram would be the “veterans” of the room, at least to start, but the eventual hope is that one or two high-upside prospects overtake all three of these players.
It’s been a while since the Chiefs flaunted a true difference maker at the position, and maybe it’s time for that to finally change in 2025 with the offense potentially shifting as Travis Kelce either retires or gets another year older.
Chiefs Should Be Patient When It Comes to Re-Signing Kareem Hunt
During the same podcast discussion, Derrick also highlighted a world where Hunt tests free agency and doesn’t get too many offers due to his age and regression in terms of yards per carry.
Hunt has averaged under 4.0 yards per carry in each of his past three NFL campaigns split between Cleveland and Kansas City. At times, his 2024 numbers were a bit deceiving with the Chiefs because of the volume at which he was getting the football.
Hunt ran the ball 200 times over 13 regular season appearances with KC after re-signing. In full seasons with the Browns, he never even came close to that level of usage.
Despite that and an increase in yards per game, Hunt only managed 3.6 yards per carry with the Chiefs in 2024. In the playoffs, that average rose a bit to 4.2 yards per carry, but the veteran’s explosiveness and home run potential are clearly a thing of the past.
Hunt seems to understand the Kansas City system well, and for that reason, perhaps the Chiefs get him back for cheap by remaining patient. Aside from that, they’d be wise to move on by adding a few rookies in April and May.
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