Isiah Pacheco is set to make a huge impact on the Kansas City Chiefs offense, and coordinator Matt Nagy seemed thrilled with the second-year running back’s development at training camp in St. Joseph.
Though Pacheco has donned a non-contact jersey during workouts to this point, his hard-nosed running style has become the stuff of legend in Kansas City, and with pads set to be worn starting on Friday, his full return is inching ever closer.
When Nagy was questioned about how Pacheco manages to be so tough to tackle behind the line of scrimmage, the seasoned offensive coordinator said it comes down to the back’s outstanding work ethic.
“[It is Pacheco’s] mentality. I mean you see him, he’s out here – we were joking about it he’s so angry right now that he’s not in here running reps in practice, so he’s getting in extra work,” Nagy explained. “This guy man, he’s going all the time, you say to yourself ‘Is it ever going to stop?’ Where you catch him one time that he doesn’t have that mentality and it’s 24/7, that’s in his DNA he’s got that. When you’re a football [player] – you roam with the football in your hand, and you have that mentality it’s hard to stop you.”
Pacheco’s return to full health will mark an important milestone for Kansas City as the Chiefs look to get their first-team offense back on the field together to prepare for the 2023 regular season.
If Nagy’s words are any indication, Pacheco is progressing well through the final stages of his rehab, and his presence in full-contact drills will provide plenty of juice for Kansas City’s running game upon his reinstatement to full-speed drills.
