When the dust settled on Sunday evening, the Kansas City Chiefs had survived the Cincinnati Bengals in a slim 26-25 victory over their conference rival. Kansas City has yet to play its best football, but improved to 2-0 with marquee wins over two teams we all expect to be viable AFC contenders come January.
Lamentably, their good fortune hasn't come without adversity. Over the past 72 hours, the Chiefs learned wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown needed surgery to rectify the sternoclavicular joint issue he sustained in the preseason. Sunday would add insult to injury, as starting running back Isiah Pacheco would suffer a fractured fibula in Kansas City's matchup with Cincinnati. At press time, he, like Brown, is expected to land on injured reserve and be sidelined for an extended period of time.— reportedly 6-8 weeks.
Remember, just a few weeks ago, reserve back Clyde Edwards-Helaire was placed on the non-football illness list due to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder. The team would respond by bolstering their depth by acquiring veteran Samaje Perine. With Pacheco also set to go on ice, the Chiefs are again thin in the backfield. Just like that, the offense is down two core offensive players and vacant roster spots are soon to be filled. With that in mind, I would caution you not to expect the team to immediately pursue reinforcements via the NFL trade market.
While roster concerns are real heading into Week 3, don't expect the Chiefs to have a knee-jerk response to injuries.
Injuries to Brown and Pacheco can't be undersold. Both players figure prominently into Kansas City's offensive plans for the 2024 season. Fortunately for them, they've started the season with a pair of conference wins that serve their pursuit of the AFC's No. 1 seed. The Chiefs are slated for a nationally-televised affair with an Atlanta Falcons team that looked overmatched in its season opener with the Pittsburgh Steelers. You can never overlook any opponent at this level, but if there's a week where they can afford to be patient with roster decisions, it's probably this one.
In the short term, I do not expect the team to explore trade options to backfill Pacheco's spot. That does not mean they won't look to free agency for help. Kansas City is reportedly bringing Kareem Hunt in for a visit on Tuesday. His unceremonious ouster from the team in 2018 due to a domestic violence incident caught on camera, seemed to slam the door shut on any kind of reunion with Kansas City. Hunt appears to have turned over a new leaf so the team is considering welcoming him back to One Arrowhead Drive. If he re-signs with the team, the Chiefs will have a back who has system familiarity and synergy with Patrick Mahomes. That could be sufficient with Pacheco expected to miss a few months while he recovers from the fibula fracture.
Sunday's contest with the Bengals saw its share of offensive struggles, but I'm persuaded that head coach Andy Reid and company will continue to experiment with their pass catchers. Xavier Worthy had an impressive Week 1 outing, but a quiet day on Sunday. The Chiefs will look to expand his role as the season wears on. The team has a number of veterans in the room so the receiving corps feels like an even more unlikely candidate for an addition. The NFL's trade deadline is still seven weeks away (November 5th) so if the team is to add receiver reinforcements, I would not expect a move until then.
Over time, this organization has demonstrated patience in its roster construction. While recent injury news is concerning, I don't expect their approach to change now. Kansas City's front office has been marked for it's non-reactionary approach to adverse situations over the years. I expect that trend to continue. The team has warts to address, but they will weigh options and allow the season to unfold before making snap judgments about the roster. For now, that seems a prudent approach.