Isiah Pacheco is showing growth. Will he get a legitimate increase in his role?
Looking at how the rookie running back has demonstrated not only his uniqueness among the Chiefs RB's, but (in a small sample size) improvement in a key area.
I don’t think I’d have to work that hard to convince Chiefs fans that Isiah Pacheco needs more snaps.
If anything, I’ve been more restrained than most when talking about the rookie running back this year, preaching the receiving ability of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the reliability (and pass protection) of Jerick McKinnon as reasons why Pacheco would see the field less than people hoped/expected. It’s been somewhat difficult given the torrent of positive reports that have come out regarding the rookie. It seems like since preseason, all we’ve heard is how impressed Kansas City’s brain trust has been with Pacheco.
But their actions (putting Pacheco on the field for a little over 15% of the snaps) don’t really back up the hype. Pacheco has seen by far the fewest snaps of the Chiefs’ running backs this season. That includes their last game against the 49ers, in which it was reported (and celebrated) that Pacheco was going to be given a “starting” role. He did indeed start, but played less than a third of the snaps, and since then the Chiefs’ coaches have made clear that running back by committee is the plan.
With all that as a background, and the Chiefs on a bye week, it seems sensible to talk about Pacheco’s usage, where he’s stood out, and whether he’s shown growth as a player since preseason. Back in August, I wrote extensively about how Pacheco’s issues with patience and reading blocks seemed to be holding him back (we’ll circle back in more detail shortly). It was an important issue that tracked with some shortcomings he’d shown in college, and I could understand why the Chiefs would limit his carries given those issues.
That said, it’s now November, and Pacheco has had some (albeit limited) chances to show growth. And frankly, he has done exactly that while still demonstrating that he’s physically unique among Chiefs’ running backs. So while both McKinnon and CEH have played pretty well in their own right of late (and definitely should have roles in the offense), let’s talk about why I’m ready to join the course asking for more Pacheco on the field.