Kareem Hunt has second chance to climb all-time Chiefs leaderboards

Kareem Hunt had such a strong start with the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only did he lead the National Football League in rushing as a rookie running back in 2017, but he proved himself to be a solid pass catcher as well, giving him multiple ways to punish an opposing defense. The Chiefs rewarded him with plenty of looks which resulted in monster production.

Fast forward through the mid-point of his second season in the league, in 2018, and it looked like his ascent up the all-time rushing leaderboards for the Chiefs was destined to be a meteoric one.

In his first season, his rushing total that led the league was good for No. 9 all-time on the Chiefs single-season list. Through 27 games, Hunt was already just outside the top 15 rushers all-time for the Chiefs and one more decent season would put him squarely in the top 10.

Kareem Hunt can get back to some unfinished business on the Chiefs' all-time franchise lists.

Then it all came falling apart.

Hunt himself has owned his mistakes and has made it quite clear how much he appreciates the second chance in K.C. after lying to the team multiple times about his role in an assault that was ultimately caught and released on video. The Chiefs needed some time to get over their concerns, but they welcomed him back as a free agent this fall after he spent the last five years with the Cleveland Browns.

Now that Hunt is back, he can begin his climb up the Chiefs leaderboards once again.

It's hard to know how many yards Hunt will get when Isiah Pacheco comes back, but he's positioned as the team's lead back until then and he's rewarding them with one positive run after another. In his first game back in red and gold, he had 14 carries for 69 rushing yards in a win over the L.A. Chargers, and on Monday, he led the Chiefs with 102 rushing yards on 27 carries and 1 touchdown.

Upon his return to the Chiefs, Hunt was No. 17 overall in rushing yards (2,151) on the Chiefs all-time leaderboard. After his first two games, he's moved past Tony Reed, Kimble Anders, and Barry Word to land at No. 14. With another 23 rushing yards, he'll get by Ted McKnight at No. 13.

Knowing that Isiah Pacheco is coming back at some point this fall, Hunt's unlikely to churn out several more 100-yard performances. However, even if Hunt can stay healthy and put together something approaching another 400 yards or so on the year (with 12 more games to go, that seems relatively doable), Hunt will eclipse Herman Heard to land at No. 10 on the list. Yes, Kareem Hunt could make it into the Chiefs all-time top 10 list in rushing yards.

Looking at rushing scores, the same can be said there about his potential climb up the list of Chiefs legends. Hunt came in with 15 rushing touchdowns, which placed him in a four-way tie for 14th place. With his rushing TD against the Saints on Monday Night Football, Hunt is now tied with Billy Jackson at No. 13. With three more scores on the ground, Hunt can pass Donnell Bennett, Wendell Hayes, and Curtis McClintock to claim No. 10 on that list as well.

Regarding the team's all-time touchdowns list, Hunt came into Monday's game tied with Eddie Kennison at 25 apiece. His rushing score moved him into No. 21 on the Chiefs' all-time list—three touchdowns behind Frank Jackson, who is at No. 20. For perspective, Priest Holmes had 83 total touchdowns in his tenure with the Chiefs.