There is one NFL team whose quarterback leads his team in rushing yards through three weeks. Patrick Mahomes, over his seven-year career as the Chiefs' QB, has averaged 319 rushing yards per season. Mahomes is currently first in the league in quarterback rush yards and on pace for over 700 yards on the ground.
While on one hand, it’s great that the Chiefs still have a signal-caller as mobile as Mahomes in his age-30 season, any time your QB leads your team in rushing is never a good thing.
Running backs for the Chiefs have failed to produce much of anything this season behind an offensive line that is at its best in the run game. Isiah Pacheco is averaging a career-worst 3.7 YPC and appears to have taken a step back from his pre-injury self. Kareem Hunt, for whatever reason, was kept on this team and averages a very mild 3.5 YPC. Both players provide nothing in terms of tackle-breaking ability, explosiveness, speed, or pass-catching chops.
Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy returning for this team will drastically help the pass game improve, but running the ball may have to come from an outside source. Here are four trade options for general manager Brett Veach to key in on heading into Week 4:
De'Von Achane
The 84th overall pick in 2023, De'Von Achane racked up nearly 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns last year. He ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the combine, and that speed certainly translates to the field.
Achane is a fine runner between the tackles, but at 5’8 190 lbs, he excels in the passing game. Pairing Pacheco and Achane together would give the Chiefs' backfield a thunder and lightning attack, making it difficult for defenses to scheme against.
With two years remaining on his rookie contract, the Chiefs would get two really cheap years from a back who gives them something they haven’t had in years. Capital to acquire Achance would most likely be the Chiefs' fourth-round pick in next year’s draft. Achane was a third-round pick, but is already halfway through his rookie deal, so a fourth seems more than reasonable.
Alvin Kamara
The Saints are an awful team with no hope in sight. They got rid of just about every other expensive player on their roster this offseason to help manage their very mismanaged cap sheet. Kamara was one of the few veterans they stuck with. But now 0-3, there have been rumblings of the Saints being open to trading away the five-time Pro Bowler.
Kamara is not who he once was as a 1,300-plus yard touchdown machine, but even at 30 years old, he gives KC a do-it-all, tackle-breaking weapon. Kamara signed a two-year $24 million extension in 2024. However, if a deal were to get done, it would be best for both parties for that contract to be ripped up and thrown away, with the Saints paying their due on dead cap expenses.
New Orleans would receive what is most likely a fifth-round pick from the Chiefs while Kamara signs a new two-year, roughly $10 million deal.
Breece Hall
I put this one third because, while Hall is an awesome player who has accumulated nearly 3,000 yards from scrimmage and 17 TDs in his last two years on a terrible Jets team, he is in the last year of his rookie contract. Trading for Hall would mean the Chiefs give up a definite top-100 pick and shell out a three to four-year contract to a position they are not historically inclined to spend much capital on.
While I myself am typically wary of paying huge money to the running back position, Hall would only command around $8-10M per year. With Pacheco most likely leaving after this season, Hall would solve this position for the Chiefs for not just 2025, but through the next era of Patrick Mahomes.
It’s not a move I expect the Chiefs to make, but Hall's talent and durability are certainly worth a swing.
Miles Sanders
Does anybody remember Miles Sanders? He was excellent in his four-year stint with the Eagles, who drafted him in the second round. Sanders then got paid big money to play in Carolina and now finds himself splitting time in the Cowboys' backfield while averaging six YPC.
Sanders had a 9.49 RAS (Relative Athletic Score) score coming out of Penn State, and at 28, is still a fantastic athlete. He is a versatile back who is probably the best pass-protecting player out of the four I’ve mentioned.
I couldn’t see Sanders garnering any more than a late sixth-round pick, and would not even eclipse $1M on the Chiefs' cap sheet. It’s a shot in the dark, but I would welcome Sanders on this team with open arms.