Andy Reid Discusses Kareem Hunt's Readiness, Potential Role for Chiefs in Week 4

With Kareem Hunt now on the 53-man roster, Andy Reid gave a peek behind the curtain regarding his RB's progress and shared how he could be used in Week 4.

Oct 7, 2018; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks with running back Kareem Hunt (27) in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Week by week, the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to get by at the running back position while starter Isiah Pacheco is on injured reserve. The club shook things up a bit for Week 4 by waiving Keaontay Ingram and adding Kareem Hunt to the 53-man roster, providing some versatility and experience for the backfield.

Head coach Andy Reid is excited to have Hunt, who is getting a second chance in Kansas City after a brief stint in 2017 and 2018, back in the fold. While the league's top head coach said the Chiefs will "play it by ear" with the halfback rotation this weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers, he believes Hunt made good progress after he signed.

“I thought he had a good week of practice last week,” Reid said. “He took the majority of the scout team reps, and it looks like he’s in pretty good shape. Now, the next step is just getting him in the game. He’ll rotate in and we’ll see how he does.”

Things have certainly changed since Hunt was first a Chief, but he managed to pick up where he left off in many regards according to Reid.

“I feel like his retention was pretty good and this week will help, too, just going through it,” Reid said. “He’s got a pretty good feel on what we’re doing.”

Without Pacheco, Kansas City gave undrafted rookie free agent Carson Steele the bulk of available carries in Week 3's win over the Atlanta Falcons. On 17 rushing attempts, the former UCLA standout amassed 72 yards. He was followed by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and veteran halfback Samaje Perine in rushing attempts with six each, and those two combined for 42 yards. Predicting a similar split this Sunday is difficult, though, especially now that Hunt is in the mix. For reference, Ingram didn't log a single offensive snap on Sunday Night Football and had five special teams reps.

Three weeks into the 2024-25 campaign, the Chiefs rank 12th in rushing attempts and 15th in yards. Although their 4.1 average yards per carry sits 21st in all of football, the offense ranks second in rushing success rate and sixth in rush EPA per play. With defenses forcing Mahomes and Co. to be patient with the passing game, establishing the run has become a rare staple of the Reid offense early on.

Hunt isn't the same player he once was, yet he adds another dynamic to a facet Reid believes is increasingly important.

“That’s important,” Reid said. “That’s important. You always try to keep defenses honest and they’re doing the same thing back to you, so it’s a little bit of a cat-and-mouse game on the number of people in the box. It’s been productive, so we’ve got good, positive yards from it.”

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