If you blink, you might miss him. At least that’s what the Chiefs Kingdom wants out of Isiah Pacheco. But the 2024 season was not ‘it’. Sure, he’s got the acumen to melt your eyes if you’re watching him. After all, Pacheco runs like he’s got a personal grudge against gravity, pin balling off defenders like they owe him money. And, looks like, his efforts haven’t gone in vain. The Chiefs and the NFL are going all in to include Pacheco’s name where it matters!

But before we get to it, it’s not like the 25-year-old was handed everything on a silver platter. Sure, he’s made it look easy on the field. But off of it, sleepless nights summed up his struggles. Within a year of each other, in 2016 and 2017, both his siblings—older brother Travoise Cannon and older sister Celeste Cannon—were murdered. Since then, Pacheco has used the losses to drive himself toward glory. “Football played a part in me and my oldest brother’s relationship. He wanted to be that big brother that always stood at the games and cheer me on,” Isiah said. And boy, has made sure to make Travoise proud.

Selected seventh overall with the 251st overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, the then 23-year-old finished the regular season with 830 rushing yards, 130 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. Furthermore, in a fashion that can only be considered iconic—and outright insane—Pacheco played in the Super Bowl LVII where they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, through a fractured wrist, and a torn labrum.

While he garnered 76 yards and a touchdown in 15 attempts during the game, Pacheco later divulged, “After that championship game, I had two weeks to recover from a hairline fracture of my wrist, which thank God those two weeks were enough to get my grip strength the way it needed to be. And for my shoulder, it was just a little lingering issue that I was having during the season, but it wasn’t painful. I was able to play through it. I wasn’t able to throw. I’m not the quarterback so I wasn’t worried about that. And all I was worried about was holding the ball in my left hand which was the fractured wrist and the adrenaline took the rest of that, and God.”

The 2023 season saw another high with Isiah becoming the only running back in NFL history to win two Super Bowls in his first two seasons. 2024, though, wasn’t as easy. Suffering from a fractured fibula in Week 2, the young star wasn’t able to return to the gridiron till Week 13. Yet his teammates have never shied away from familiarizing the community with the RB’s gamesmanship.

As per the Chiefs’ QB, Patrick Mahomes, “If I’ve ever seen a young guy be consistent, it’s that guy. I mean you have to calm him down because he wants to go as hard as he can every single play, and that’s what the great ones do. I don’t know if y’all saw but he scored a touchdown, but I don’t know if his feet ever landed in the touchdown, he like jumped all the way. That’s his energy every single day. Just as much in the locker room, the meeting room and on the practice field and game days, so I don’t think we have to worry about him being consistent.”

Andy Reid, on the other hand, said, “He’s a spark plug, now, emotionally. He’s something that way. He’s worked his tail off to get to the point that he’s at now…I appreciate that, though, that mentality — that’s what’s helped him get to this point.” Perhaps that explains why, when it came the time for selecting one name for a prestigious award, the Chiefs’ locker room chose Pop.

On February 21, the Kansas City Chiefs’ official X account announced, “This year’s Ed Block Courage Award goes to none other than @isiah_pachecoRB. Congratulations, Pop! ❤️”.

For the unversed: The Ed Block Courage Award is given to one player from each NFL team “chosen by their teammates, who best exemplifies the principles of sportsmanship, courage, and overcoming adversity, essentially recognizing a player who demonstrates great leadership and dedication on and off the field while facing challenges”. Well deserved? Absolutely. Pop doesn’t just run hard—he plays like his contract depends on every single yard. And his girl knows that, too.

Ciarra Ortiz took to her Instagram, sharing the award post on her story, and wrote: “Hard work can take you farther than hustle ever could. Always proud of you, my love.” That’s cute… But in a kingdom built on dominance, fun to watch and hard work doesn’t keep you on the throne. Results do.

Pacheco’s playoff run wasn’t exactly legendary this past season. Turns out, missing most of the season with injuries doesn’t exactly spell: ‘Reliable’. Back in September, Patrick Mahomes said: “I’m excited for the comeback, man, because he’s going to come back ready to go whenever he gets back.”

Oh, Isiah did come back.

But only to drop 310 rushing yards and one touchdown in seven games. Soon enough, the fans’ fears turned into reality. By the time he returned, the rust was impossible to ignore. The same guy who once ran like he was late to a fight looked, well, human. And in a league where running backs age in dog years, that’s a problem.

Andy Reid can’t rely wholly and solely on Isiah Pacheco

For the first two years, Isiah Pacheco did run with conviction and true to the Kingdom’s expectations out of him. 1,765 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a Super Bowl ring to show for it. A seventh-round steal? More like a jackpot. But heading into 2025, the ground beneath him isn’t as solid. Injuries, a shifting backfield, and a deep draft class have put his role under the microscope.

And now? The Chiefs can’t afford to lean on him alone. Kansas City knows this. They watched Saquon Barkley help the Eagles hoist a Lombardi. They saw Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones change games for their teams. And they saw what happens when a backfield lacks depth. Pacheco’s broken fibula in week 2 forced him to miss nine games.

Obviously, he won’t be the same guy upon his comeback. And he wasn’t… Picture this: a 3.5 YPC clip and just 37 yards in the playoffs? That’s not what you expect from your lead back. If Pacheco had stayed healthy, maybe we’re talking about an extension. Instead, KC might be scanning the draft board or free agency for reinforcements.

Kareem Hunt was their best back last year—and he wasn’t even on a roster in September. Nate Taylor of The Athletic put it bluntly: “Mahomes accounted for 72.5% of the offense’s yards… That shouldn’t happen again.” No kidding. Mahomes can’t keep shouldering this much of the offense.

Whether it’s a veteran signing or a draft pick, Andy Reid and Co. have to give Pacheco help. Otherwise, 2025 could look a lot like last year… All fanfare ending in a heartbreak!