Over the last three games, the Kansas City Chiefs gave rookie running back Brashard Smith a chance to stake his claim in the backfield with Isiah Pacheco sidelined by a knee injury.
Smith was a non-factor in the Chiefs’ Week 9 loss against the Buffalo Bills, posting seven yards on three carries across 12 snaps. And then he followed that up with no carries, but with two recs (three targets) for eight yards in last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos.
The rookie running back has been disappointing to say the least, and some Chiefs are likely looking forward to Pacheco’s return. On Thursday, we received another positive update on the veteran running back, which isn’t great for Smith’s prospects in the backfield.
According to Pete Sweeney of the Kansas City Star, Pacheco was seen working during the open media portion of Thursday’s practice, which means he didn’t suffer any setbacks coming out of Wednesday.
Isiah Pacheco's Looming Return Ends Brashard Smith Experiment
The Chiefs listed Pacheco as a full participant on Wednesday’s injury report, which was already a good sign, as he was a DNP all last week, leading up to the showdown against the Broncos.
The fact that Pacheco was seen working at Thursday’s practice session should set the stage for him to play on Sunday against the Colts. And if that’s the case, Smith will likely go back to the RB3 role behind Pacheco and Hunt.
Before Pacheco missed the last two games, the rookie running back was not playing much on offense, seeing 16.4% of snaps between Weeks 1-8. The most snaps Smith saw were in the 31-0 Week 7 blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders (28), only for him to see just 33 combined opportunities in the last three games.
Smith has struggled to replicate his performance against the Raiders (81 total yards on 19 touches) over the last two games, and it likely won’t happen now with Pacheco seemingly back. Kansas City will need Pacheco for this weekend’s game vs. the Indianapolis Colts, which is only giving up 92.3 rushing yards per game this season, but 100.6 at home.
It's also hard to imagine the Chiefs dumping their trust in Smith down the stretch, even if Pacheco or Kareem Hunt gets hurt. The final regular-season stretch and playoffs aren't exactly the best opportunity to throw a rookie RB into the fire, especially when Kansas City has other veteran options (Elijah Mitchell, Clyde Edwards-Helaire) waiting in the wings.
To help boost the Chiefs’ passing game and create explosive plays, head coach Andy Reid & Co. need a steady option in the backfield, which is Pacheco, and his rookie counterpart.