Which Tier Does Chiefs RB Room Rank in the NFL?

The Kansas City Chiefs added a new face to their running back room for the 2025 NFL campaign in the form of Brashard Smith. Smith was the franchise's seventh-round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, as the front office could be proactively adding to a room led by veterans.

That being said, the Chiefs current running back room consists of Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco, Carson Steele, Elijah Mitchell, and Smith. Last season, the crew was one of the more hit or miss rooms for the Chiefs, especially since they dealt with injury.

Hunt came in and led the ground game following an injury to Pacheco. The front office brought him back on a one-year deal, hopefully getting similar production that he has provided in the past for the crew. However, even with returning players, the outlook of the running back room is skeptical from outsiders.

According to CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan, every franchise's running back room falls within six tiers:

Tier 1: Dynamic Duos

Tier 2: RB-QB Duos

Tier 3: One-Man Band

Tier 4: Up and Comers

Tier 5: Injury Concerns

Tier 6: Day Two Rookie Headliners

While the hope is to fall within the first three categories, the Chiefs don't land there in Sullivan's rankings. Rather, they fall in tier five, following what they endured last year.

"The Kansas City Chiefs had an interesting season in the backfield. The club lost starting back Isiah Pacheco in Week 2 due to a fractured fibula and wasn't able to return until Week 13. Even when he got back on the field, however, he was used sparingly. In his five regular-season games played after returning, Pacheco registered 49 rushing attempts for 175 yards," Sullivan wrote.

"In the playoffs, he ran the ball a total of 13 times over three games for 37 yards. Veteran Kareem Hunt took over the bulk of the carries down the stretch, but it will be interesting to see how Pacheco carves back into the rotation in 2025 now that he's healthy."

If Pacheco is the man to lean on for Kansas City, the ranking in tier five does make sense until proven otherwise. He has proven that when he is healthy, he can be leaned on, unless the front office feels they need to go a different direction.

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