The Kansas City Chiefs are going to be experimenting at running back for the next couple of weeks as they learn to adjust without a couple of staples in the offensive backfield.
Following the loss of lead back Isiah Pacheco in Week 2 and the continued absence of Clyde Edwards-Helaire to start the season, the Chiefs will be going with Carson Steele and Samaje Perine as the primary tandem in Week 3 to anchor the ground game as they visit Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 3 to visit the Atlanta Falcons.
That means, per head coach Andy Reid, that the Chiefs have decided to leave Kareem Hunt on the practice squad for another week.
The Chiefs will visit the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday for their first road test of the season.
The Chiefs will likely give Hunt a real opportunity in Week 4 when they face the Los Angeles Chargers in their first divisional contest of the year. For now, however, it was simply too soon to force him into official snaps so shortly after signing as a free agent after five full seasons away from the team.
Pacheco was lost last week to a fractured fibula that will force him to miss at least six weeks, if not more, following a successful surgery. He broke his leg late in the team's win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. As for Edwards-Helaire, he's been on the team's NFI list since the preseason.
Steele now becomes a bigger part of the offense than anyone could have anticipated a few months ago, when he was a rookie free agent trying to make an impression at rookie minicamp out of UCLA. Steele has become a fan favorite as an underdog who keeps making the most of his reps throughout the preseason and the first two weeks of his NFL career.
Perine will continue to serve as a third-down back who is himself new to the Chiefs as a late preseason free agent signing after years of playing against K.C with the Broncos and Bengals.
The Chiefs also have Keaontay Ingram promoted from the practice squad to serve as a backup running back on Sundya.
