Andy Reid Hints at His Preferred Choice to Replace Isiah Pacheco
The Kansas City Chiefs improved to 2-0 on the 2024 NFL season with a hard-fought 26-25 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Unfortunately, the win wasn't without heartbreak as Chiefs No. 1 running back Isiah Pacheco suffered a lower-body injury during the final drive of the game, leading to his leaving Arrowhead Stadium in a walking boot.
Reportedly dealing with a fractured fibula, it's clear that the Chiefs will be without Pacheco for a chunk of time. As Kansas City fans now wonder who'll take over as the RB1 until Pacheco returns, head coach Andy Reid has revealed his top choice to lead the backfield.
Chiefs News: Andy Reid Wants Carson Steele to 'Step Up' Into RB1 Role
On Monday, Reid was asked about fullback Carson Steele potentially taking over for Pacheco in the backfield. According to ESPN's Adam Teicher, the 60-year-old HC told reporters that Steele is "going to have to step up" if he wants to lead Kansas City's RB room.
Reid on Carson Steele potentially becoming the featured back: "He's going to have to step it up in that role.''
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) September 16, 2024
It's clear that Reid wants to undrafted rookie to prove that he deserves more opportunities. Although Steele was impressive during the preseason with 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, his regular-season production hasn't come close to that output. He's only turned nine carries into 27 rushing yards while being limited to 19 offensive snaps.
Reading between the lines, Reid will likely roll with one of the Chiefs' veteran rushers as the starting option in Week 3. Recent free-agent addition Samaje Perine has some lead-back experience after starting in 12 of his 95 career games while veteran RB Keaontay Ingram started in one of his eight appearances with the Arizona Cardinals in 2023.
That's without mentioning how fellow undrafted rookie RB Emani Bailey is also expected to keep with Steele for playing time. Clyde Edwards-Helaire would likely be the team's preferred RB1 option given his familiarity with Reid, however, he's been on the injured reserve since the beginning of the season due to mental health-related issues.
Having said that, general manager Brett Veach could always be tempted to explore the free agent market if none of the Chiefs' in-house backfield options pan out.
In the meantime, Kansas City will roll with what it has as a Week 3 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons looms. Oddsmakers are confident in the Chiefs' chances of improving to 3-0 as FanDuel Sportsbook is currently listing them as the 4.5-point road favorites over the Falcons.
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