The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, but they lost one of their top offensive players in running back Isiah Pacheco, who left the stadium in a walking boot after suffering a lower leg injury.
Pacheco has been placed on injured reserve, and according CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, will apparently be out longer than the four-game minimum. According to ESPN, the expectation was that Pacheco would miss 6-8 weeks. Andy Reid, however, painted a much different picture on Wednesday, disclosing that Pacheco had surgery on his fractured right fibula and could miss the rest of the season.
"I can't give you a time when he'll return," Reid said, via KCTV5. "We'll just see if it's this season or next season."
The possibility that Pacheco could miss the remainder of the season is potentially a significant development. The two-time Super Bowl champion running back has been a vital piece of Kansas City's offense since arriving as a seventh-round draft pick in 2022, eclipsing 1,100 yards from scrimmage in 2023.
"We'll go with the guys we have now" to replace Pacheco, Reid said Monday, via The Athletic, alluding to Carson Steele, Samaje Perine and Keiontay Ingram. "I don't have a timeline on [his return]. It's going to take a little bit of time."
Reid also added that general manager Brett Veach would look into adding another running back to the roster, and Kansas City has since signed Kareem Hunt, who played the for the Chiefs in 2017 and 2018 before spending the last several seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
The Chiefs also have former first-round draft pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the roster, but he is sidelined through at least Week 4 while on the non-football illness (NFI) list.
