The Kansas City Chiefs dealt with their fair share of injuries this past season, one of the most influential being to their starting running back.
Isiah Pacheco had emerged as a breakout star with just under 1000 rushing yards in his sophomore season. But a fractured fibula in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals sidelined him for nine weeks.
And he was just not the same when he came back.
He finished 2024 with 310 yards and a single touchdown, averaging a less than desirable 3.7 yards per carry. He will be looking to bounce right back from this disappointing year and prove in 2025 that it is still his backfield in Kansas City.
Pacheco is currently listed as the starter on the Chiefs' depth chart, but many think that veteran Kareem Hunt will be getting a decent amount of snaps, at least to start the year.
Of course, it’s also early enough in the process that there are some media outlets that have suggested Hunt might end up getting cut.
Knowing the mentality that Pacheco plays with, this will surely fuel him and make him want to his play his best more than he already does. With the Chiefs hoping to redeem their loss in the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles this past season, they are all for a hungry Pacheco in the backfield.
The 26-year-old out of Rutgers cemented himself as the lead back for the AFC powerhouse in his rookie season, and he will be looking to prove that he is not going anywhere despite his big injury in 2024.