Isiah Pacheco finds starring role on Chiefs special teams

Isiah Pacheco hasn’t returned a single kickoff in any meaningful way since 2018—the same year Patrick Mahomes was named the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Still, the lack of recent experience hasn’t stopped the Chiefs from already naming Pacheco as their primary kickoff returner heading into the regular season.

When speaking with reporters from training camp at St. Joseph on Tuesday, special teams coach Dave Toub detailed his plans for several players on his core coverage units as he attempts to replace key losses this offseason—namely Marcus Kemp, Ben Niemann, Armani Watts. When it came to returner, Toub identified Pacheco as his primary returner.

Rookie seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco has found a starring role on special teams for the Kansas City Chiefs right out of the gate.

Of course, the Chiefs will have others ready and waiting for the chance to serve as a returner, and the team can obviously make any changes they want, but it’s still a curious choice to zero in on Pacheco so soon.

Pacheco was the second of three seventh-round picks made by the Chiefs in this year’s draft after showing solid production at Rutgers for the last four seasons. While his stats don’t pop off the page at any level (with only 647 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns in 2021), he was the single fastest running back at the NFL Combine with a 4.37 second time in the 40-yard dash.

Back to the lack of experience, however, for Pacheco returning kicks. Rutgers clearly saw something in Pacheco early in his freshman season to give him 18 kickoffs to return—which he did for an average return of 19.3 yards. From there, Pacheco never touched another return, on kickoffs or punts, which means Pacheco is currently shaking off some rust in training camp.

The good news is that three preseason games should simulate quite well what Pacheco will face in the regular season. If he cannot handle it, the Chiefs can adjust, but if he succeeds, it will be interesting to look back and realize just how quickly he was handed a starring role on special teams by Dave Toub.