The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t make a big splash at the trade deadline. At 5-4, the Chiefs could have made the case to make a move to help them get back in the divisional race in the AFC West. But instead, the Chiefs are going to rely on what they have as they look to make another trip to the Super Bowl.
This is great news for Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. The 26-year-old has had a loose grip on his starting job, as his effectiveness has gone downhill the past two seasons and rumors about Kansas City trading for an upgrade were one of the biggest storylines going into the deadline.
Instead, Pacheco stands tall as the Chiefs' RB1 and is the team’s biggest winner coming out of the deadline.
Isaiah Pacheco Survives Chiefs Trade Deadline Rumors
Pacheco seemed like a marked man entering the deadline. The Chiefs were rumored to be interested in acquiring New York Jets running back Breece Hall in the weeks leading up to Tuesday afternoon.
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor told The Fan 96.5 that Kansas City was “willing to go as high as a fourth round pick that conditionally can turn into a third-round pick in any trade.” But The Athletic’s Dianna Russini noted that the Jets were looking for a straight third-round pick in return for the Iowa State product.
The Chiefs were also a rumored suitor for Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, though he also stayed put at the deadline likely because he’s under team control for the 2026 season.
Either Hall or Achane would have been a catastrophic development for Pacheco, who is working through a rough patch in the Kansas City backfield. One of the biggest issues has been Pacheco’s durability which left him on the sidelines with a broken fibula last year and a knee injury that kept him out against the Buffalo Bills and the injuries seem to have sapped Pacheco’s explosiveness, posting 4.0 yards per carry over his last two seasons after posting a 4.7 clip over his first two seasons.
Despite the troubles, it appeared that a trade was the only threat to his job even as he is sidelined for the immediate future. Kareem Hunt has been a similar plodder with 4.0 yards per carry and five touchdowns this season. While Brashard Smith’s explosiveness has warranted a change of pace role, the Chiefs’ coaching staff hasn’t agreed, giving him three touches for seven yards in Sunday’s loss to the Bills.
While Kansas City could have found an upgrade for Hunt or Smith’s role, they didn’t do either, and the most significant addition was former Chiefs first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who was elevated from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
For a player that had multiple rumors swirling around his position, Pacheco is likely breathing a sigh of relief as the trade deadline passes. Pacheco also got solid news on his injury last week as Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told CBS’s Tracy Wolfson that he expects Pacheco to return after the bye. That gives Pacheco a chance to turn his season around and perhaps extend his time in Kansas City as he plays out a contract year.