The running back room for the Kansas City Chiefs remains a work in progress entering Week 15. Needless to say, this is not the scenario that head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy imagined when piecing together this roster back in August.
Running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have dealt with their fair share of ups and downs, while rookie Brashard Smith quickly became an afterthought, leading fans to hope that the in-season signing of veteran Dameon Pierce could help this group climb out of the middle of the pack and position itself among the top half of the league's rushing attacks.
With Kansas City owning a 6-7 record entering Week 15, the hope for a cleaner and more effective running game appears to have come and gone. This was only hammered home by Reid on Wednesday, suggesting that Pierce could ultimately not see the field at all for Kansas City during the 2025 campaign and follow in the footsteps of Tyquan Thornton, who spent the end of the 2024 campaign on the practice squad.
“Sure, potentially,” Reid said, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. “It seems like he’s all-in on things, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. Yeah, he’s been welcomed here that way.”
Chiefs Giving Pierce No Reasons to Consider Returning to Kansas City
First things first, Reid suggesting that Pierce could follow the same path as Thornton, despite being a proven commodity, probably won't sit well with the former Florida Gators standout. Next, Thornton has largely disappeared from the wide receiver rotation as the season has moved forward, despite being one of the team's best deep threats to start the year. Using any other player as an example would have likely been more enticing to the rusher.
Beyond all of that, Pierce should command actual attention on the open market this offseason. Following in the footsteps of Dallas Cowboys RB Javonte Williams and betting on himself to perform at a high level in a situation where he can be, at least, part of a featured backfield would undoubtedly be a more attractive option.
That isn't to say that Pierce will replicate Williams' success, but it isn't unfathomable to imagine that the 25-year-old RB will at least try. The shelf life for a running back in the NFL is incredibly limited, after all, meaning if Pierce doesn't bet on himself now, the opportunity to get paid may pass him by.
With three games remaining, and the Chiefs needing to win out to have any shot whatsoever of competing in the postseason, publicly suggesting that Pierce is in line to be inactive from here on out so that he can better learn the playbook in advance of, potentially, being part of the 2026 roster is one heck of a limb to go out on.