Ranking AFC West position groups: Running back
By Jason Willis
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Expected starter: Isiah Pacheco
As mentioned earlier, the Chiefs have overhauled their offense to fit their personnel and that meant grinding teams down with Isiah Pacheco and his hard-nosed running style. He would finish last season with 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games.
Surely to operate as their starter again, Pacheco gives Kansas City great value as an undrafted free agent who has become a legitimate bell cow and feature player in their offense. So even if the Chiefs have improved their wide receiver room to make their offense more dynamic, defenses will still have to be ready to tackle the physical Pacheco.
Behind him, Clyde Edwards-Helaire returns once again. A former first-round pick out of LSU, it hasn’t quite worked out for him in the NFL. However, he had found himself a comfortable role in Kansas City as Pacheco’s backup who chips in in the passing game and on trick plays throughout the season.