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An obvious area of weakness for the 2025 Kansas City Chiefs was the unreliable running game. While the Chiefs’ offense struggled to find any calling card, the lack of an explosive rushing attack was a key factor in their general ineffectiveness. There are plenty of reasons the team missed the postseason in 2025, but improving the playmaking from the backfield feels like a straightforward way to work towards a return to glory.
Most of Chiefs Kingdom can see that, and so can the team’s general manager, Brett Veach. When answering questions from reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday, he had a direct response to a question about the biggest weakness for the offense ahead of 2026, especially considering quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ recovery from injury.
“Certainly, we want to get more explosive in the running game,” Veach began. “The running game takes a lot of pressure off everybody. So, I think if we can be more explosive and effective in the running game, we can take a lot of pressure off Pat — especially coming back early in the season with the injury.”
The team clearly wants to improve on the rushing attack that generated the league’s 25th-ranked rate of rushing yards per game (106.6), but Veach also makes the key point that next season will at least start with unique circumstances. Mahomes will return from a season-ending ACL/LCL tear that occurred in December. There is no guarantee Mahomes will be available at full strength for Week 1, let alone any game next season.
The Chiefs employed a rushing attack of veteran backs Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt — both set to enter free agency this spring — and rookie Brashard Smith. Pacheco struggled to find his former explosiveness upon his return from a fractured fibula in 2024 and a sprained MCL, which sidelined him for three games in 2025. This forced Hunt into the featured role — rather than a complementary one for which he is best suited.
The 2026 Chiefs’ offense will (presumably) attack defenses differently. The coaching staff has been revamped with the return of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and two notable additions with running backs coach DeMarco Murray and wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea.
Kansas City has also made the most significant investment in its offensive line within the interior three. Center Creed Humphrey— along with guards Kingsley Suamataia and Trey Smith — will be relied upon heavily if the offense is to shift toward a more explosive rushing attack.
“We’ve invested in that interior,” Veach acknowledged, “with Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey — two of the best in the league. We thought Kingsley made a big step. Those are three talented interior players. We’ve talked about it — and [head coach Andy Reid] has done a great job with his staff cranking on the scheme eval — but I think being more explosive in the running game and really taking advantage of those interior three to kind of impose your will on an opposing team’s defense.”
While the run game struggled in 2025, the interior three for the Chiefs will remain the same. The running backs utilizing their services are yet to be determined, however. Without Pacheco and Hunt currently on the roster, Kansas City is likely to heavily scout running backs at the Combine — along with evaluating a strong pool of free agent backs.
Before the Chiefs’ on-field personnel can be established, Veach and Reid have already demonstrated through word and action that improving the running game is imperative for the team’s success in 2026.