Breaking News: Isiah Pacheco’s injury is quietly draining both his value and the Chiefs’ season…see more

When Isiah Pacheco was forced to leave the Kansas City Chiefs’ win over the Washington Commanders with a knee issue, it was a frustrating turn for a running back in a contract season hoping to rebound from an injury-plagued season in 2024.

Pacheco remained on the Chiefs’ active roster, which indicated an internal belief that he could have been ready to go sooner than later. The Chiefs termed him week-to-week in the wake of the injury news, and they held him out of their Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills in order to let him have the bye week as well.

Yet even after that extra rest, Pacheco was still missing in action as the Chiefs returned from the bye to lose at Mile High in a tough divisional bout against the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs avoided any trade deadline additions earlier in November, and that inactivity could have been partially informed by a belief that Pacheco would return soon to bolster the position.

The Chiefs have also lost a roster spot for the last month instead of being able to put Pacheco on injured reserve to free up the spot. Perhaps it’s worth keeping Pacheco around in practice, but four weeks out is a long time at a needy position.