KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the rare NFL teams that is getting healthier, and perhaps deeper, as the season progresses.
The biggest boost yet for the two-time defending Super Bowl champs could come Sunday, when the Chiefs hope to have running back Isiah Pacheco and pass rusher Charles Omenihu available against Carolina. Both spent last week working on the scout team and had no problems as they come back from injuries, and that makes it more likely that they are active this week.
“We’ll see on both of those two,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said before heading out to practice Wednesday. “Go through practice and see where they’re at this week and go from there. We’ll just have to see.”
Pacheco has been out since Week 2, when he sustained an injury to his ankle requiring surgery. The Chiefs signed Kareem Hunt almost immediately afterward, and he has done a nice job filling in while Pacheco went through his rehab.
But now, the Chiefs could have both of them available, creating a two-headed attack of somewhat different skill sets.
Hunt is the quintessential between-the-tackle bruiser. He’s had at least 14 carries in each of his seven games with Kansas City, twice surpassing 100 yards rushing.
Pacheco tends to run hard, too, but with more speed and explosiveness. That lends itself to bigger chunk plays, something that the Kansas City offense has been sorely missing. And his infectious energy and enthusiasm is also a contrast to the more quiet, reserved Hunt, and the Chiefs are eager to have that back on the sideline, too.
“I mean, listen, he’s a sparkplug emotionally. He’s something that way,” Reid acknowledged, “and he’s worked his tail off to get to this point right now. We’ve got to keep an eye on him that way. He would have played three weeks ago if it was his choice.”
Indeed, the Chiefs - now 9-1 after a 31-20 loss in Buffalo - seem to be focused on protecting Pacheco from himself.
“It’s going to be us trying to hold him back,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “He wants to be out there as much as possible. But at the same time, he wants to win. He knows the long-term goals we have.”
Meanwhile, the Chiefs hope to have Marquise Brown back on the practice field sometime in December. The wide receiver had surgery on his shoulder after sustaining an injury in a preseason game, and for a while it appeared to be a season-ender. But he has hammered his rehab, and it’s possible that Brown could help the Chiefs at some point in the postseason.
“Making very good progress,” Reid said. “I can’t tell you a time he’ll be back, but he’s another one that’s excited to get out here and get going. I appreciate the way he’s approached this whole thing.”
The Chiefs have tried to upgrade their wide receiver group after losing Brown and Rashee Rice to injuries. The big splash was landing three-time All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins in a trade with Tennessee, but Chiefs general manager Brett Veach also has been scouring the waiver wire and even opposing practice squads for players that could provide additional depth.
The latest addition is wide receiver Tyquan Thornton, who joined the practice squad after he was waived by the Patriots on Saturday.
Thornton was a second-round pick of New England in the 2022 draft, when many teams were tantalized by the 4.28-second 40-yard dash time he registered at the NFL scouting combine. But he struggled to live up to expectations, appearing in 28 games with just 13 starts and totaling 39 catches for 385 yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots.
The Chiefs hope they can unlock his natural ability while supplying Mahomes with another player who can stretch the field.
“Obviously he has a good opportunity to come here,” said Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who played with Thornton in New England. “Young dude. Loves to work. Loves to stretch the field, too. He’s excited to be in the building and get to work.”
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