The Kansas City Chiefs brought back a familiar face to the organization after Isiah Pacheco suffered a broken right fibula in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Chiefs signed free agent running back Kareem Hunt to the practice squad after discovering Pacheco would have to be placed on injured reserve. Hunt, drafted by the Chiefs and spending the first two years of his career in Kansas City, made his 2024 regular-season debut last week against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Hunt exceeded all expectations as he had 69 yards on 14 carries and added two receptions (three targets) for 16 yards in the Week 4 win. It didn’t take long for the veteran running back to find his groove in the Chiefs offense and it appears head coach Andy Reid wants to build on that.

According to Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com, Hunt will be the starting running back against the New Orleans Saints for Monday’s primetime game.

The Chiefs started rookie running back Carson Steele in their previous two games. Steele had the ball well in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons as he had 72 yards on 17 carries.

However, he couldn’t carry that momentum into Week 4 against the Chargers as Steele lost a fumble, sending the Chiefs to Hunt. The rookie running back played just 11 offensive snaps and had two carries for six yards.

With the Chiefs at wide receiver, it makes sense for them to go with Hunt, who can be deployed out of the backfield as a pass catcher. Hunt will face a Saints defense that is allowing 4.8 yards per carry this season but only 96.5 rushing yards per game.

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