The Kansas City Chiefs were able to win an incredibly hard-fought game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday but are likely to have paid a heavy cost in the victory. Star running back Isiah Pacheco has a fractured fibula and is likely heading to injured reserve. He will have tests done today to determine the severity of the fracture, which will in turn determine how much time he will miss.
Pacheco had 19 carries for 90 yards in the win on Sunday after having 15 carries for 45 carries and a touchdown in Week One. Without him, the Chiefs find themselves with plenty of question marks at running back.
NFL Analyst Suggests the Kansas City Chiefs Sign Frank Gore Jr.
With Pacheco out, the Chiefs are left with Carson Steele and Samaje Perine on their depth chart. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is currently on the non-football injury list as he continues to struggle with PTSD.
Steele had seven carries for 24 yards in the win while Perine had one reception for three yards.
While neither back played many snaps due to Pacheco not getting hurt until the final seconds of the game, it is clear that Kansas City is in trouble in terms of its running back depth.
For this reason, Bleacher Report has suggested that they go and sign Frank Gore Jr. off of the Buffalo Bills practice squad:
“Frank Gore Jr. is a powerful runner that could contribute as part of a rotation with the Chiefs now without their lead runner. He doesn’t have the breakaway speed that Pacheco brings to the table, but he’s a patient runner with the ability to get yards between the tackles.”
Gore, of course, is the son of NFL legend Frank Gore, who ranks third in NFL history with 16,000 rushing yards. Only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton had more.
Gore Jr. played his college at Southern Mississippi where he accumulated 4,022 rushing yards in four years. His best season was in 2022 when he had 1,382 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
As a senior in 2023, Gore Jr. had 1,131 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry. He also had 221 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Gore Jr. went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft and was signed by the Bills. After failing to make their 53-man roster, he was signed to their practice squad.
Does Frank Gore Jr. Makes Sense for the Kansas City Chiefs?
Obviously, replacing Pacheco is no easy task. The bruising back rushed for 935 yards and seven touchdowns in Kansas City’s most recent Super Bowl-winning campaign in 2023 and has proven to be a great compliment to two-time NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
That being said, the Chiefs do need to address their running back depth. Signing Gore Jr. to be their third running back would be a smart decision because CHE is currently not able to fill that role. However, adding Gore Jr. to start in place in Pacheco would be foolish.
Steele and Perine already know the offense and can shoulder the load for a while. The hope is that one of them could emerge as a starting caliber running back while Pacheco is out.
The chances of Gore Jr. doing so after failing to make the 53-man roster in Buffalo do not seem great. Adding him for depth would be a smart decision, but expecting him to start immediately would be foolish.
