The Kansas City Chiefs made a contentious signing on Tuesday to improve their backfield.
The Chiefs needed to add depth at running back, with Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve and Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the NFI list.
According to ESPN’s Field Yates, the Chiefs added Kareem Hunt to their 53-man roster off the practice squad. In a matching move, they released Keontay Ingraham.
The Chiefs have signed RB Kareem Hunt to their 53-man roster and waived RB Keontay Ingraham.
So, Hunt now figures into the RB rotation alongside Carson Steele and Samaje Perine.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 24, 2024
This is Hunt’s second tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs fired Hunt in 2018 after a video surfaced showing the running back shoving a lady to the ground and kicking her outside his home.
The woman declined to cooperate with local prosecutors, so authorities did not file criminal charges.
Last week, the Chiefs added Hunt to their practice squad. According to Adam Teicher of ESPN, head coach Andy Reid stated Hunt has “grown up” since the event.
“We just thought he needed a change of scenery and get some help and take care of business there and we felt like he did that,” Reid told me. “He did a nice job in Cleveland, and we talked to the people there and there were no issues there, so we felt OK by bringing him back.”
Hunt has 4,436 yards and 40 touchdowns on 1,030 carries over his eight-year NFL career. At 29, he has participated in 91 games and started 38 of them.
The Chiefs have had some questionable legal situations with players in recent years, including Tyreek Hill and Rashee Rice. The Chiefs decided to let the legal process play out with them.
Hunt’s case was cited as an example of the Chiefs taking a stand by releasing a player before the legal process was completed. The Chiefs are giving him a second shot at a critical time for the team.
