The Kansas City Chiefs made the difficult decision of letting Isiah Pacheco leave the team in free agency this offseason, as the running back inked a one-year, $1.81 million deal with the Detroit Lions. Letting Pacheco go was difficult because of everything he meant to the team in its back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
Pacheco took over as the Chiefs' lead back as a rookie, and rushed for 76 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown in their Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He wasn't quite as efficient in the following Super Bowl, as he had just 59 yards on 18 carries against the Niners, but he was still their best running back, and particularly impressed in that year's AFC Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills. Letting a player of his track record walk is not an easy decision, but his injury shows why the Chiefs were right to have parted ways when they did.
Isiah Pacheco's injury already proves Chiefs right for letting him go
Pacheco suffered an MCL sprain, knocking him out for some time. Now, Lions head coach Dan Campbell believes he'll be back for Week 1, which is great news if true, but with Pacheco being a running back, in particular, MCL injuries are scary. Even if he is back by Week 1 of the regular season, are we sure he won't get hurt again?
Look, Pacheco has missed time due to injury in three of his four NFL seasons. He missed two games with a shoulder injury in 2023. He missed seven games due to a fibula fracture in 2024. He missed additional time that year with a rib injury. A knee injury cost him time in 2025. He missed 17 games combined from 2023 through 2025, the equivalent to a full NFL regular season.
And it's not like he was dominating when healthy, either. Pacheco went from averaging over 4.5 yards per carry in his first two seasons to averaging under 4.0 yards per carry in 2024 and in 2025. He had just 462 yards on 118 attempts last season, the fifth-fewest among the 53 players with at least 100 rushing attempts.
Chiefs running back room is in better shape without Isiah Pacheco
While Pacheco had some good moments to begin his NFL career, he's become injury-prone and unreliable when healthy. Replacing him with Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP (albeit a player with an injury history as well), is a no-brainer. Walker should greatly elevate this Chiefs' offense and take pressure off Patrick Mahomes in ways Pacheco just could not anymore.
Behind Walker, the Chiefs are better positioned to succeed, too. Emmett Johnson, Kansas City's fifth-round pick from this past year's NFL Draft, has the talent to step in and help both in the air and on the ground. Emari Demercado is more of a proven depth option who can help on third downs. Brashard Smith was on the team last year and has value as a pass-catching back who knows the system well.
This new-look Chiefs running back room complements itself well, and should thrive if it can stay healthy. Pacheco has a chance to do some special things in Detroit behind Jahmyr Gibbs, but his injury shows that the Chiefs were right to try something new in their backfield.
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