Updated Chiefs RB depth chart after reuniting with Kareem Hunt

Kansas City Chiefs RB1 Isiah Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula in Sunday's 26-25 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. It is not a season-ending injury for the third-year steamroller, but it will sideline Pacheco for 6-to-8 weeks.

We always talk about the Chiefs offense in terms of Patrick Mahomes and their passing attack, but Pacheco is an invaluable cog in Andy Reid's machine. His short-range burst and fearless mentality are not only fun to watch; it elevates the Chiefs' offense in profound ways.

Without Pacheco, the Chiefs are expected to run a committee in the backfield. Samaje Perine should take on more early-down work, while undrafted rookie Carson Steele, a preseason fan favorite, could start to demand a larger share of touches. We may even see more designed runs for Kansas City's speediest wideouts, Xavier Worthy and Mecole Hardman.

Perhaps most notable in the wake of Pacheco's injury, however, is the arrival of Kareem Hunt, who is reuniting with the Chiefs after five years with the Cleveland Browns. Hunt will start on the Chiefs practice squad, per Bleacher Report's Jordan Schultz, but he should join the active roster in short order.

Hunt brings experience in Andy Reid's system, not to mention the sort of dynamic skill set that tends to play beautifully off of Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs will need to establish a competent run game without Pacheco and Hunt figures to serve in a critical role.

Here's how the Chiefs' depth chart shakes out.

Kansas City Chiefs RB depth chart as Kareem Hunt fills in for Isiah Pacheco

This is obviously subject to change. Kareem Hunt will begin on the practice squad and he was not on the Chiefs' initial 53-man roster out of training camp. In fact, he didn't train with the team at all. That leaves him in the RB3 slot by default, although the window of opportunity is cracked awfully wide with Pacheco out of commission.

Hunt probably has the most traditional RB1 skill set of the Chiefs' available halfbacks. Perine is a talented pass-catcher, which has led him to serve in a pace-changing role for most of his career. Perine was far more sensible as the Chiefs' third-down RB. Now, he could be asked to do more work in between the tackles.

Steele is also going to receive far more handoffs than he did in Weeks 1 and 2. Standing 6-foot even and 233 pounds, the undrafted UCLA product made the roster as Kansas City's fullback. He has utility as a blocker and pass-catcher, but his physicality on runs up the gut could prove more useful than ever expected with Pacheco on the pine.

Hunt, however, is the only Chiefs RB with legitimate experience in a bell cow role. He, too, offers considerable pass-catching dynamism — all of Kansas City's RBs have some level of versatility — but Hunt once scrambled for 1,327 yards as a rookie, which led the NFL back in 2017. The 29-year-old is not the same weapon now that he was then (obviously), but he does offer a real knack for finding the end zone. Hunt can score in a variety of ways and he has built-in familiarity with the Andy Reid offense and with Mahomes under center, which could prove beneficial as the Chiefs scramble for answers post-Pacheco.

Hopefully Pacheco is back in six weeks, not eight, and the Chiefs' RB room can revert to normal. Until then, however, don't be shocked if Hunt quickly picks up steam as an oft-used weapon for Reid, Mahomes, and this Kansas City offense.