Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kansas City Chiefs: Isiah Pacheco’s Physical Transformation Catches Andy Reid’s Attention

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Rex Villas | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 7:08 AM ET

Coming off a challenging season, Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is looking to make waves in the NFL again in the upcoming 2025 NFL campaign.

Pacheco was limited to just seven games (six starts) in 2024, as he had to deal with a fractured fibula injury. Although he was able to return for the final stretch of that season, he only managed to record just 175 rushing yards on 49 carries with zero touchdowns in his final five appearances on the field.

As part of his mission to be better in 2025, Pacheco tried to bulk up this offseason, as he saw his weight come down while he was recuperating from his injury.

In a press conference, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke about his observation of Pacheco’s body transformation.

“He’s put on a couple pounds of good weight,” Reid said (h/t Bobby Kownack of NFL.com). “He got himself down there a little bit last year and leaned up. But man, I think he looks tremendous right now.”

Kansas City Chiefs would love to see Pacheco’s return to form

Selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft, Pacheco turned heads in his rookie season in the league when he accumulated a total of 830 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 170 carries. He followed that up with 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 205 carries in the 2023 campaign. Then he suffered the aforementioned injury early in the 2024 season.

This time around, Pacheco is expected to play a big role in the Chiefs’ ground attack, with the likes of Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell and Brashard Smith in the team’s running back room.

In 2024, the Chiefs were just 26th in the league with an average of 101.2 rushing yards per game.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) rushes the ball against Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nicholas Morrow (43) during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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