KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If Monday is any indication, this looks like a busy week for Chiefs general manager Brett Veach.
In the wake of the news that running back Isiah Pacheco expects to miss significant time due to a fractured fibula, NFL Network reported the team will bring free agent Kareem Hunt in for a visit Tuesday. The club also waived tight end Peyton Hendershot, creating another opening on the 53-player roster.
Hunt’s Tuesday visit could begin a reunion between the Chiefs and the 29-year-old running back. The club selected Hunt in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft with the No. 86 overall choice. He burst out of the gate with a record-setting performance in his regular-season debut against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in Week 1 of his rookie season, rushing for 148 yards and catching five passes for 98 yards. His 246 yards from scrimmage remain the most in NFL debut during the Super Bowl era, and his three total touchdowns stand tied for the most in a player’s first game along with Marshall Faulk and Billy Simms. Hunt earned Offensive Rookie of the Year and the overall Rookie of the Year awards from the Pro Football Writer of America.
Hunt led the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 1,327 yards and was on pace for another 1,000-yard season in 2018 when a security video emerged of an altercation he had with a woman in a Cleveland hotel in February that year. The video contradicted the version of events that Hunt provided the team, including club Chairman/CEO Clark Hunt. After the video was posted online Nov. 30, the NFL placed Hunt on the commissioner’s exempt list and the Chiefs placed him on waivers a few hours later that day.
Reports of two other incidents involving Hunt also emerged, including an alleged altercation at a Kansas City nightclub following the team’s playoff loss to Tennessee in January 2017. Clark Hunt said the club was aware of all three incidents at the time.
“It was a collective decision, everybody was on board with it,” Clark Hunt said Dec. 9 of that year. “I don’t think we were necessarily trying to make a statement, we just felt that the best thing for the Kansas City Chiefs moving forward was for us to part with Kareem.”
Clark Hunt also did not close the door on Kareem Hunt returning to the NFL.
“I hope at some point he is able to come back into the National Football League,” Clark Hunt said then. “I’m not sure when that will be. Our message to him was even though we’re having to part ways with you today, we’re still supportive of you, and if you need us to get you some help off the field, we’re willing to do that.”
After he departed from Kansas City, Hunt signed with the Cleveland Browns on Feb. 11, 2019, but remained on the commissioner’s exempt list. In March 2019 the league handed down an eight-game suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
During his five seasons in Cleveland, Hunt played in 64 games with 11 starts, rushing for 2,285 yards and 25 touchdowns while adding 147 catches for 1,057 yards and seven scores. Hunt averaged 4.0 yards per carry with the Browns, down sharply from the 4.7-yard clip he posted with the Chiefs.
In his career, Hunt has rushed for 4,436 yards and 40 touchdowns while catching 226 passes for 1,890 yards and 17 additional scores. He has 6,326 yards from scrimmage with 57 touchdowns in his career.
Hunt has been a free agent since the end of last season. In Cleveland’s Wild Card loss to Houston, he rushed eight times for 26 yards and a score while catching five passes for 9 yards and another touchdown.
The Chiefs would not entertain the thought of bringing back Kareem Hunt without approval from Clark Hunt. Tuesday’s visit will include not only the typical medical testing but also a discussion of Hunt’s past. Hunt was involved in a traffic stop in January 2000 in which he acknowledged he would not pass an NFL drug test at that time. He has largely stayed out of the limelight and seemingly out of trouble since, however.
In addition to the character concerns, the Chiefs also must feel comfortable Hunt can regain the form that made him a productive offensive player earlier in his career.
Hendershot Waived
The Chiefs made a solitary roster move on Monday, placing tight end Peyton Henderson on waivers. The 25-year-old made his Kansas City debut Sunday against Cincinnati, playing seven snaps on special teams.
The Chiefs acquired Hendershot from Dallas on Aug. 27 in exchange for a conditional 2026 seventh-round draft choice. Placing Hendershot on waivers invalidates the conditions of the trade, returning the draft choice back to the Chiefs.
The club expects to sign Hendershot to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Teams have until 3 p.m. central time Tuesday afternoon to put in a claim.
Open Roster Spots
The waiving of Hendershot leaves the Chiefs with two open spots on the 53-player active roster. There is also a spot left open with the team placing wide receiver Hollywood Brown on injured reserve last week.
Kansas City will likely create a third opening by placing Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve. How will Veach fill out these holes in the roster?
Signing Hunt to bolster the backfield is one possibility. The Chiefs also could elevate Keaontay Ingram from the practice squad. They also could use a practice squad elevation on Ingram before making a final decision.
The club also needs reinforcements on special teams and must open up a practice squad slot for Hendershot. Signing linebacker Cole Christiansen from the practice squad would address those needs, and is among the moves the club is considering.
