Will Chiefs sign former RB they cut in 2018? Reports say he’s visiting KC on Tuesday
The Kansas City Chiefs are exploring a reunion with a former running back, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that KC will be hosting free agent Kareem Hunt on a visit Tuesday.
That development comes as the Chiefs search for a replacement for starting running back Isiah Pacheco, who was injured in Sunday’s game and is expected to miss significant time.
Given the two sides’ history, the Chiefs reuniting with Hunt would be surprising.
KC drafted Hunt in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and he started every game over two productive seasons before video surfaced of an offfield incident where he shoved and kicked a woman.
Hunt later admitted that he was not honest with the Chiefs when they spoke to him about the incident. The Chiefs released him in late November of 2018, saying in a statement, “Kareem was not truthful in those discussions (with Chiefs management). The video released today confirms that fact. We are releasing Kareem immediately.”
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told reporters a week later that the team was “shocked by the video” and that “everyone was on board” with releasing him.
The Cleveland Browns signed Kareem Hunt in February 2019, and he played there for five seasons.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Monday that Pacheco would “miss approximately 6-8 weeks” but should return this season.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid didn’t seem overly enthused about the options behind Pacheco during a weekly news conference with reporters Monday.
That includes Carson Steele, a rookie who impressed in training camp but had a costly lost fumble in Sunday’s game. Steele finished with seven carries for 24 yards.
The other possibility is veteran Samaje Perine, who was signed recently after being released by the Denver Broncos. Perine, who is still learning the playbook, was initially brought in to fill the team’s role as a thirddown back who could pass protect and catch the ball out of the backfield.
Pacheco had been a workhorse for the Chiefs this year after working to improve his pass-catching ability in the offseason. Before his fourth-quarter injury Sunday, Pacheco had 19 rushes and five receptions.
When asked if he felt confident that either Steele or Perine could handle that kind of workload with Pacheco out, Reid didn’t seem overly enthusiastic.
“I would tell you I have confidence in them,”
Reid said. “I just haven’t experienced it with them.”
The tone was a little more upbeat later when Reid was asked about Steele potentially moving into Pacheco’s top RB spot.
“He’s gonna have to step it up there in that role. But I think he likes to be challenged, and I think this will be a good challenge for him,” Reid said. “He’s obviously got to keep the ball high and tight. He had the fumble yesterday, and he doesn’t have a history of that. So he’s got to make sure he learns from that.”
In the long term, the Chiefs could also get roster help in three weeks.
Veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire was placed on the non-football illness list ahead of the season while experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. Edwards-Helaire has remained around the Chiefs locker room and his teammates in recent weeks, and he’s eligible to return to the active roster Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints.
Reid said EdwardsHelaire’s potential availability was “part of the equation” while trying to resolve the position’s future.
“So we’ve got to just figure all of that out and see how all that fits in,” Reid said. “But we know he’s around. We just don’t have him available here for a couple more weeks.”
Hunt played in 15 games for the Browns a year ago, rushing 135 times for 411 yards with nine touchdowns.