The Kansas City Chiefs have a new bell-cow running back, and the running back he’s replacing, Isiah Pacheco, has a new team. Pacheco signed a deal with the Detroit Lions, with the move reported by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk via a report from Tom Pelissero of NFL Media and Adam Schefter of ESPN. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed in Florio’s writeup, and they may not be until another Lions move becomes official
The move will replace Lions running back David Montgomery, who will be officially traded to the Houston Texans tomorrow. It’s a bit of a misnomer to say that Pacheco is replacing Montgomery, as the latter is considered a power back with some speed, while Pacheco was never able to fully step into that role with the Chiefs.
He came close in 2023, picking up a career-high mark of 935 rushing yards. But Pacheco, who joined Kansas City in 2022 as a seventh-round pick, was constantly injured or nicked up, and last year he gained just 462 rushing yards in 13 games, with 12 of them starts.
The Chiefs have decided to move on from Pacheco as their primary back, signing running back Kenneth Walker III to a lucrative three-year deal yesterday as they revamp their running game to feature more power running. This shift is in part designed to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes after he comes back from his season-ending knee injury, as Mahomes will almost certainly be far less mobile, especially initially.
For the Lions, Pacheco will become the clear number-two back behind Jamhyr Gibbs, and he also represents insurance protection in case Gibbs is injured, according to Florio.
If that is indeed the case, it will weaken the Detroit running game considerably, as much of the Lions’ success was built around the so-called two-headed monster of Gibbs and Montgomery getting close to the same number of carries, with Gibbs featured in space more consistently. It’s hard to believe the Lions won’t make another move to add a running back to go with Gibbs, although Gibbs has become a rising star.
For Chiefs fans, Pacheco’s exit represents the end of an era. He was incredibly productive based on the round in which he was selected, but Pacheco was a constant source of frustration to fans when he failed to step up or stay in the lineup consistently.
Pacheco is 27, and he leaves Kansas City with career numbers of 2.537 yards on 576 carries with 14 touchdowns. He was also effective as a receiver out of the backfield, catching a total of 88 passes for 554 yards and three touchdowns.