Chiefs' Isiah Pacheco Placed on IR with Leg Injury; Reportedly Has 6-8 Week Timeline

The Kansas City Chiefs officially placed running back Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve Wednesday, meaning he will miss at least the next four games.

Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula during the Chiefs' Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, and ESPN's Adam Schefter later reported he was expected to miss six to eight weeks.

Per Arrowhead Pride's Pete Sweeney, Pacheco was set to undergo surgery Wednesday, and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid did not provide a timeline for Pacheco's return, saying he could return "this season or next season."

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport later added Pacheco had successful surgery with no complications or ligament issues. He added that Pacheo's "timeline to return remains at least six weeks [and] up to eight weeks."

As part of the Pacheco IR announcement, the Chiefs also divulged that they elevated running back Keaontay Ingram from the practice squad to the active roster and signed veteran running back Kareem Hunt to the practice squad.

Through two games, the 25-year-old Pacheco seemed well on his way to a career year, as he rushed for 135 yards and one touchdown on 34 carries while also catching seven passes for 54 yards.

Originally a seventh-round draft pick out of Rutgers in 2022, Pacheco quickly established himself as the Chiefs' top running back, rushing for 830 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie.

He was even better last season, rushing for 935 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with 44 grabs for 244 yards and two more scores despite missing three games.

Pacheco was also a key figure in the Chiefs winning each of the past two Super Bowls, racking up 635 total yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns in seven playoff games.

The Chiefs figure to sorely miss Pacheco's hard-charging running style, especially since there is no clear No. 1 back on the roster to replace him with.

For now, the top two candidates to take over for Pacheco are undrafted rookie Carson Steele and 29-year-old veteran Samaje Perine.

Steele has seen some time at both halfback and fullback so far this season, rushing nine times for 27 yards.

Meanwhile, Perine is an eighth-year journeyman who played for the Washington Commanders, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos before signing with the Chiefs in late August.

Perine has rushed for only 1,830 yards and five touchdowns in 95 career games, but he is a quality pass-catcher with 153 receptions for 1,204 yards and six touchdowns to his credit.

The most established running back now under contract with the Chiefs is Hunt, who spent his first two NFL seasons in Kansas City before playing five seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

Hunt, 29, was a Pro Bowler and finished second in NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting under Reid in 2017 with 1,782 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns.

While Hunt was once one of the NFL's best all-around running backs, he has lost most of his explosiveness in recent years. In 15 games with the Browns last season, he averaged just 3.0 yards per carry and rushed for 411 yards, although he did score nine touchdowns.

The Chiefs could soon have yet another backfield option as well in the form of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who is eligible to come off the non-football illness list in Week 5.

The 2020 first-round pick has totaled 2,610 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in four seasons with the Chiefs.

Kansas City's running back depth will be put to the test Sunday night when the 2-0 Chiefs go on the road to face the 1-1 Atlanta Falcons.