Current Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco emerged just when the team needed him, as the passing attack around him started to struggle. He’s a bruising runner and looks like a building block for years to come, something QB Patrick Mahomes has never had in Kansas City (apologies to Darrel Williams).

What about other running backs of Chiefs past? In this Betway Insider top 10, we’ll look at some of the best halfbacks in Kansas City history.

As usual, all stats and references are courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and are updated through the end of the 2023 regular season.

Who is the Kansas City Chiefs starting Running Back for the 2023 NFL season?

The Chiefs 2023 starting running back is Isiah Pacheco. The 2022 seventh-round pick stole the job from former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Kansas City Chiefs Running Backs History

A core part of Chiefs running back history was Priest Holmes’s legendary three-year stretch from 2001 to 2003, where he made three straight First-team All-Pro squads.

Famous Kansas City Chiefs Running Backs

Other famous running backs for the Chiefs include recent stars like RB Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles.

Ranking the Top 10 Greatest Kansas City Chiefs Running Backs of all time

  1. Kareem Hunt, 2017-2018

Current Browns RB Kareem Hunt got his career started in Kansas City as a third-round rookie back in 2017. He dominated the league from the get-go, totaling 246 yards and three scores against the Patriots on opening day of the 2017 season.

Hunt romped to a league-leading 1,327 yards and eight scores, earning Pro Bowl honors and finishing second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. Hunt was off to a strong start to the 2018 season before he was released following an assault allegation.

  1. Mike Garrett, 1966-1970

Mike Garrett was a backfield star in the AFL. He was a 20th round pick in the 1966 AFL draft but blossomed into something far greater -- even though he was a former Heisman Trophy winner.

Garrett was a 2-time AFL Champion, 2-time First-team All-AFL, and 2-time AFL All-Star in Kansas City. He also helped rumble the Chiefs to their first-ever Super Bowl title, scoring a touchdown as KC blew out the Vikings 23-7. His 3,246 rushing yards are the eighth most in franchise history.

  1. Patrick Mahomes, 2017-Present

No, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes is not a running back. The quarterback is not particularly known as a speedster -- most of his runs involve a series of pump fakes and odd turns.

So why is Mahomes on this list? Well, his 424 playoff rushing yards are the most in Kansas City Chiefs franchise history. Mahomes’s five rushing scores are the second-most by a Chief.

Not bad for a guy with a 4.80 40-yard dash.

  1. Ed Podolak, 1969-1977

Ed Podolak spent his entire nine-year career in Kansas City. He was never the most dominant rusher, never tallying over 1,000 yards in a season. However, he did surpass 600+ yards every year from 1970-1973. This helps him check in at fifth on the franchise’s all-time leading rushing yards list.

Podolak was also the team’s return specialist for a few seasons, leading the league in all-purpose yards in 1970 with 1,715.

  1. Marcus Allen, 1993-1997

No, the Kansas City Chiefs did not get veteran RB Marcus Allen in his prime. The Pro Football Hall of Famer joined KC as a 33-year-old in 1993 alongside legendary QB Joe Montana to form arguably the NFL’s greatest offense…of 1985.

Allen showed he had plenty left in the tank. He led the league with 12 rushing touchdowns in 1993, won NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and helped lead the Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game for the first time in a generation.

In Allen’s five seasons with Kansas City, he tallied the seventh-most rushing yards and the third-most rushing touchdowns in franchise history.

  1. Abner Haynes, 1960-1964

In the Kansas City Chiefs’ first year of existence, they had a man win MVP. Who was it? Former RB Abner Haynes, who led the league in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns for the then-Dallas Texans.

Haynes led the league in rushing touchdowns on three occasions. His 13 scores in 1962 helped the team lock up the first seed in the Western Conference. He scored another two times in the AFL Championship game as the franchise secured their first AFL Title.

Haynes ranks sixth in franchise history for rushing yards and was a 4-time AFL All-Star.

  1. Christian Okoye, 1987-1992

Former Chiefs RB Christian Okoye was never supposed to play in the NFL. He originally planned on representing Nigeria at the Olympics for Track & Field. After briefly excelling at little-known Azusa Pacific as a running back, the Chiefs took him in the second round of the 1987 NFL Draft.

The selection of Okoye was far from a mistake. He snatched the starting job his rookie year and responded with an impressive 660 yards in 12 games. The best was yet to come, with a league-leading 1,480 yards during his 1989 NFL Offensive Player of the Year season.

Okoye would only have one more 1,000+ yard season after that. His 4,897 total rushing yards are the fourth most in Chiefs history.

  1. Larry Johnson, 2003-2009

Larry Johnson was a first-round pick without a path to a starting job. He started his Chiefs career backing up legendary RB Priest Holmes. Injuries to Holmes ultimately opened up the starting gig, and Johnson never looked back.

Johnson recorded beastly back-to-back 1,700+ rushing yard campaigns in the 2005 & 2006 seasons. During this stretch, he totaled 37 rushing touchdowns, made two Pro Bowls, and two All-Pro squads (one First-Team, one Second-Team).

Johnson never reached those heights again for the rest of his Kansas City career, but he did enough to record the third-most rushing yards and the second-most rushing touchdowns in Chiefs history.

  1. Priest Holmes, 2001-2007

Former Kansas City running back Priest Holmes started his NFL career as an interesting RB prospect in Baltimore. He helped the Ravens win a Super Bowl and cracked the 1,000 yard barrier once, but no one could foresee what would happen once he joined the Chiefs as a free agent ahead of the 2001 campaign.

Holmes reeled off three straight First-team All-Pro campaigns upon becoming a Chief. In that stretch, Holmes won the 2002 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, led the NFL in rushing touchdowns twice and rushing yards once and bested 1,400+ yards three times and 20+ rushing touchdowns twice.

Holmes slowly faded as he got older, but he had as good of a three-year peak as any running back in NFL history.

  1. Jamaal Charles, 2008-2016

Why is former Kansas City RB Jamaal Charles the best running back in Chiefs history? He:

  • Has the most rushing yards in franchise history (7,260)
  • Was a 2-time First-team All-Pro and 4-time Pro Bowler
  • Recorded 5 1,000+ rushing yard seasons
  • 4 yards per carry (most among NFL RBs all-time)

 Charles was widely possible amongst Chiefs fans and one of the best running backs of his generation.

Parameters of Rankings 

Rankings are made based on a combination of 1) individual accomplishments, 2) team success, 3) franchise legacy, and 4) personal accolades.

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