Although the Chiefs’ first partnership with Kareem Hunt ended badly, the former rushing champion resurfaced on Kansas City’s radar in light of Isiah Pacheco‘s injury. The Chiefs are expected to move fast here.
Hunt is on track to return to the Chiefs, according to veteran reporter Jordan Schultz. Both Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are out of the picture for the Chiefs, who exited Sunday’s Week 2 escape with rookie UDFA Carson Steele and recently added passing-down back Samaje Perine rounding out their RB room.
This will be a practice squad agreement, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The Cowboys made this move with Dalvin Cook recently. Hunt had resided in free agency since his latest Browns contract expired. After the Browns brought Hunt back when Nick Chubb went down in Week 2 of last year, the Chiefs will take the same route due to the Pacheco development.
While Chiefs fans may remember Hunt as a burgeoning top-tier running back, he has not displayed that form in a while. He finished last season with a 3.0-yard average per carry (on 135 totes) while teaming with Jerome Ford to replace Chubb. Hunt’s minus-101 rushing yards over expected doubled as the NFL’s third-worst number (per Next Gen Stats) last season.
The two-year Chiefs starter had operated effectively as a Chubb complementary piece in Cleveland, having sought a more lucrative contract in 2022. Hunt, 29, had requested a trade that year but did not end up being moved. The Browns had planned to move on in 2023, only to see Chubb’s injury change the team’s thinking. Despite Chubb landing on the reserve/PUP list due to the severe knee injury he sustained last September, the Browns did not bring Hunt back.
Hunt won the 2017 rushing title as a rookie, and the former third-round pick was on his way to a better 2018 season before video surfaced of him pushing a 19-year-old woman to the ground and kicking her while she was on the floor. This incident occurred during the 2018 offseason at a Cleveland hotel. The Chiefs kept Hunt rostered months after the incident occurred, but video surfacing prompted the team to act. At the time, the Chiefs had indicated Hunt lied to them regarding the events depicted in the video.
Hunt went unclaimed on waivers, but ex-Chiefs GM John Dorsey (then in place as Browns GM) gave him a second chance in free agency in 2019. The Browns extended Hunt — who received an eight-game suspension — on a two-year, $12MM deal in 2020. Hunt signed the extension after Dorsey’s ouster and played four seasons under the Andrew Berry–Kevin Stefanski pairing.
Having accumulated 1,202 scrimmage yards in just 11 games in 2018, Hunt was on course for a second Pro Bowl at the time he was waived. He had already scored 14 touchdowns for a historically explosive Chiefs offense, one that employed Tyreek Hill and a prime version of Travis Kelce. The Chiefs narrowly missed Super Bowl LIII that season but have since won three championships with low-cost RB situations. Hunt may well have been on an extension track — for a team that has become known for being quite lenient when it comes to off-field trouble — in Kansas City, but he settled into a backup role in Cleveland and saw his trajectory change.
Although Hunt played a key role in the Browns’ 2020 playoff return by compiling 1,145 yards from scrimmage and working as the team’s passing-down option, he has not eclipsed 700 scrimmage yards in a season since. Injury trouble intervened in 2021, and he averaged just 3.8 yards per handoff during a disappointing 2022 season. While last year brought a career-low YPC number, Hunt still rushed for nine touchdowns to help the Browns to the playoffs despite Chubb, Deshaun Watson and both starting tackles going down.
The same Chiefs power structure is in place from the time Hunt was cut, though GM Brett Veach was not yet in charge when the Toledo alum was drafted in 2017. Hunt will likely move to Kansas City’s active roster soon, with Steele fumbling Sunday and Perine profiling as more change-of-pace back and pass catcher than workhorse. A committee should be expected here.
Edwards-Helaire is out of the mix on the reserve/non-football illness list. Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula against the Bengals and is heading to IR. While Pacheco is not expected to miss the season, the third-year back will miss much of it. Hunt will be asked to help the Chiefs get by in the meantime.
He didn’t look good last season. Down after first contact a lot. I feel like Steele is going to get early looks and goal line work and Hunt/Perine will split catches and occasional runs. Anyone else feel this way ?
Yeah, Hunt looks mostly done to me. A lot probably comes down to how much they feel they can trust Steele, but between Steele and CEH coming back in a couple of weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hunt’s time on the 53 man roster is brief.
3 yards per carry in 135 attempts is a definite indicator, not an aberration. In 2023 the NFL average was 4.2 yards per carry.
And it’s not like he had a terrible line or scheme to work with.
Looks like Hunt had some kind abdominal surgery to repair something. He may have been playing hurt last year. Time will tell.
Shocked
As a Chiefs fan, I am embarrassed. This is ridiculous.
you do realize you have Rashee Rice playing after he cause a 6 car, car accident and ran from the scene as your number one receiver, right?
Yeah? And your point?
I’m fully aware of the police blotter and how it is as associated with this team, including the coaches son. Thanks for reminding me though.
For me, it’s not just about the police blotter. The ownership of this freaking team is playing the state of Missouri against the state of Kansas to try and get the best deal for a new stadium. He doesn’t really give a crap where the team plays, he wants the most state money that he can get.
I’ve been a fan of the Chiefs, by default, ever since the Rams moved from here in St. Louis. I don’t have another team that is closer to me than the Chiefs to root for. I may just have to become a fan of the entire NFL, and root for good games to watch instead of rooting for a particular team, until St. Louis gets another team.
Also, no, I don’t have Rashee Rice playing, the Chiefs do.
But if he can get us a first down, who cares, right?
Surprised they didn’t sign Henry Ruggs when Hollywood Brown went down
Off field issues 5-6 years ago aside, the Chiefs need something, not much else out there, his on field equivalent is on the Cowboys practice squad, Chiefs need someone to shoulder some carries, I think he’ll give the Chiefs exactly what they need paired with Steele
He’s past his prime but he won’t cost much. His ball security is excellent (a fumble every 231 touches on average) so he won’t likely lose you a game.
There is an iron pipeline of criminals between KC and Cleveland.
Chiefs & Cleveland choose communal criminals constantly.
I hope people remember that come October instead of buying pink jerseys or and gear that helps put money in the pockets of guys like Hunt and Hill you can give all of that money directly to the breast cancer charity instead.
Just another women-beating POS joining the Chiefs! Winning is all that matters!!
Spare us the righteous indignation.
What’s righteous about him stating the facts?
HIlarious that people think there arent criminals playing for every single team…whats sad that is once you make one mistake people will never let you try and grow from it. It will always be held against you. From the looks of most comments they never even watched the video of what happened and just label him as a woman beater even though he tried leaving but the woman was being obnoxious and not letting him leave…is what he did right? Absolutely not, but lets not treat him like hes Ray Rice beating his wife in an elevator
Really? The woman was not letting the muscular, NFL-player leave? She was really that big and strong that she wouldn’t let him leave? Stop making excuses for him kicking and shoving this woman. He’s a POS and if you can’t see that, then you must be one also. Wake the eff up!
Thanks for proving my point that you have no clue what you are talking about
The woman was a party-crasher who wouldn’t leave. Apparently she wanted access to the free booze and drugs at the Kareem Hunt (and other players) party. When she was thrown out, she wouldn’t leave and kept coming back and hammering on the door. It’s certainly not the right thing to do. One can argue about whether people should be allowed to drink and do drugs, as Hunt seemed to be intoxicated himself. If Hunt lived a more sober lifestyle, he wouldn’t be in this situation. The party hosts (Hunt included) couldn’t really call the cops, as the cops would probably bust up the whole party, and might even try to arrest the hosts and genuine guests, on drug charges.
A stupid situation with an even stupider end. Yet it’s not the wife beating/woman beating story which the media has attempted to make it.
He’ll be used as a backup for a few weeks before being sent packing once Pacheco is good to go.
He offers versatility, he’s the backup RB and Kicker.
Guess Ray Rice didn’t pass the physical.