I will be interested to see what Kansas City does at running back in the offseason. They did not get enough out of the position.
Isiah Pacheco in particular. He carried 5 times for 18 yards against the Texans in the playoff opener, and that was the best of his last six games. He didn’t average more than 3 yards per carry in any of his last five other games.
Pacheco missed half the season with a fractured fibula. That presumably contributed to his reduced effectiveness. He carried 19 times for 90 yards in Week 2 against Cincinnati, and 15 times for 45 yards against a good Baltimore run defense in their opener. Pacheco averaged 4.7 yards per attempt in his first two seasons, 12th among running backs with at least 200 carries. He’s a frenetic, high-energy runner, but with lesser vision and elusiveness.
Late in the year, Pacheco was outperformed by 29-year-old Kareem Hunt, who signed in September. Hunt carried 17 times for 64 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo, and 8 times for 44 yards and a touchdown against Houston in their other playoff game. Hunt was a better tackler breaker.
Hunt and Pacheco combined to carry 6 times for only 16 yards in the Super Bowl.
If Kansas City wants Hunt back, he’ll need to be re-signed. He played for close to the minimum last year.
Pacheco is entering the final year of a rookie contract worth $3.7 million over four years. He’s eligible for an extension, and there was a report a month ago that he was on the verge of signing an extension. That would be an indication Kansas City is confident Pacheco will return to playing more like he did in 2023.
I would think Kansas City will want to head into next year with more than just Pacheco and Hunt at tailback.
Including the playoffs, there were 46 other running backs in the just-completed season that carried the ball at least 100 times. All but three of those guys averaged more yards per carry than Hunt and Pacheco – Gus Edwards and Alexander Mattison (who aren’t starter-caliber backs) and Nick Chubb, who’s been great in the past but was working his way back from an extension knee repair.
| RUNNING BACKS -- YARDS PER CARRY | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
| Derrick Henry, Balt. | 367 | 2,191 | 6.0 | 19 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs, Det. | 264 | 1,517 | 5.7 | 18 |
| Saquon Barkley, Phil. | 436 | 2,504 | 5.7 | 18 |
| Jerome Ford, Cle. | 104 | 565 | 5.4 | 3 |
| Bucky Irving, T.B. | 224 | 1,199 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Jordan Mason, S.F. | 153 | 789 | 5.2 | 3 |
| James Cook, Buff. | 260 | 1,281 | 4.9 | 19 |
| Emanuel Wilson, G.B. | 106 | 508 | 4.8 | 4 |
| Bijan Robinson, Atl. | 304 | 1,456 | 4.8 | 14 |
| Chuba Hubbard, Car. | 250 | 1,195 | 4.8 | 10 |
| Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 303 | 1,431 | 4.7 | 11 |
| Tyler Allgeier, Atl. | 137 | 644 | 4.7 | 3 |
| James Conner, Ari. | 236 | 1,094 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Rico Dowdle, Dall. | 235 | 1,079 | 4.6 | 2 |
| J.K. Dobbins, LAC | 204 | 931 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Tank Bigsby, Jac. | 168 | 766 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Antonio Gibson, N.E. | 120 | 538 | 4.5 | 1 |
| Jalen Hurts, Phil. | 184 | 824 | 4.5 | 19 |
| DeVon Achane, Mia. | 203 | 907 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Cam Akers, Hou.-Min. | 109 | 483 | 4.4 | 2 |
| Aaron Jones, Min. | 268 | 1,186 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Josh Jacobs, G.B. | 319 | 1,410 | 4.4 | 16 |
| Tyrone Tracy, NYG | 192 | 839 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Chase Brown, Cin. | 229 | 990 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jaleel McLaughlin, Den. | 115 | 494 | 4.3 | 1 |
| Jaylen Warren, Pitt. | 122 | 517 | 4.2 | 1 |
| Rachaad White, T.B. | 145 | 614 | 4.2 | 3 |
| Kyren Williams, LAR | 351 | 1,481 | 4.2 | 14 |
| Zach Charbonnet, Sea. | 135 | 569 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Joe Mixon, Hou. | 288 | 1,210 | 4.2 | 13 |
| Breece Hall, NYJ | 209 | 876 | 4.2 | 5 |
| David Montgomery, Det. | 192 | 803 | 4.2 | 12 |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 228 | 950 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Brian Robinson, Was. | 223 | 928 | 4.2 | 10 |
| Tony Pollard, Ten. | 260 | 1,079 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Ray Davis, Buff. | 120 | 478 | 4.0 | 4 |
| Najee Harris, Pitt. | 269 | 1,060 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, N.E. | 207 | 801 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Devin Singletary, NYG | 113 | 437 | 3.9 | 4 |
| D'Andre Swift, Chi. | 253 | 959 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Kenneth Walker, Sea. | 153 | 573 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Travis Etienne, Jac. | 150 | 558 | 3.7 | 2 |
| Javonte Williams, Den. | 146 | 542 | 3.7 | 4 |
| Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 228 | 845 | 3.7 | 9 |
| Isiah Pacheco, K.C. | 96 | 347 | 3.6 | 1 |
| Gus Edwards, LAC | 108 | 387 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Nick Chubb, Cle. | 102 | 332 | 3.3 | 3 |
| Alexander Mattison, L.V. | 132 | 420 | 3.2 | 4 |
—Ian Allan