The Kansas City Chiefs surprised the football world by welcoming back former draft pick and Pro Bowler Kareem Hunt. The veteran running signed a practice squad contract on Tuesday as additional insurance following the Week 2 injury to Isiah Pacheco.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid addressed the addition of Hunt to the team at practice during Wednesday’s press conference.
“We’ll get him in here and get some work, kind of get them back in the swing of playing, and then we’ll just see,” Reid explained. “As the game gets closer, we’ll see how things go there and so on. But we [will] try to get him in a position where he’s where he’s ready to play, either this week, next week or the following week. We’ll just see how long it takes.”
Hunt spent the last five seasons with the Browns and was left unsigned in the offseason. He finished last season with 135 carries for 411 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games and could be a candidate to play as early as this Sunday night, according to Reid.
“There’s a chance, yeah, gonna try again, see where we’re at as far as the other part,” said Reid. “But we’ve got other guys that can jump in and play.”
The Chiefs released Hunt in November 2018 following off-the-field issues detrimental to the team. Reid reflected on that decision and Hunt’s growth moving forward in Kansas City.
“What we told him publicly [was that] we just thought he needed a change of scenery, to get some help, and to take care of business there,” said Reid. “We felt like he did that. He did a nice job in Cleveland, and we talked to the people there, and there were no issues there. So we felt okay by bringing him back. He’s 29 years old, so time flies, but he’s 29. Looks like he’s grown up some.”
Hunt’s lone Pro Bowl season was as a rookie with the Chiefs in 2017, when he led the league in rushing yards. Reid mentioned that Hunt maintained a close friendship with Patrick Mahomes, which helped the decision. Hunt was invited to the reigning Super Bowl MVP’s wedding as a guest.
“Pat [Patrick Mahomes] stayed good friends with him… he was at Pat’s wedding, so those two came out in the same [draft] class and developed a friendship here,” Reid said. “Their general manager spoke highly of them, coaches, and so on. So we felt good about it. I was at the wedding. I talked to him there, and then I also talked to him before and when he got here.”
Hunt could see action on Sunday, but rookie Carson Steele and veteran Samaje Perine will likely see significant time in the backfield. Hunt’s return will be an exciting storyline for the rest of the season.
