Kareem Hunt is officially on his way back to Kansas City.
The Chiefs struck a deal with their former running back on Tuesday afternoon to sign him to their practice squad, according to multiple reports.
Hunt visited with the Chiefs and worked out with them on Tuesday morning. It’s unclear how long he will be on the practice squad, but Hunt will likely work his way into the rotation shortly.
The move came days after the Chiefs lost starting running back Isiah Pacheco to a fractured right fibula. Pacheco went down late in the Chiefs’ 26-25 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon, and he was placed on injured reserve on Monday. Pacheco is expected to miss up to two months recovering.
Hunt got his start with the Chiefs, who selected him in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He had a breakout rookie season in his first campaign, too, after he ran for a league-high 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns while earning a Pro Bowl nod. The Chiefs released him in November 2018, however, after a video surfaced that allegedly showed Hunt physically pushing and kicking a woman on the ground.
Hunt was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list after that, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2018 season. The Cleveland Browns signed him the following year, and Hunt returned to the field after serving an eight-game suspension.
Hunt spent the last five seasons in Cleveland, and he ran for 411 yards and nine touchdowns last season with the franchise. Hunt has been a free agent so far this fall after his last one-year deal with the Browns expired after the 2023 season.
The Chiefs will take on the Atlanta Falcons next on Sunday night. Until Hunt is ready to play, the team will likely turn to Carson Steele in Pacheco’s absence. Steele, who is now listed as the top running back on the team’s depth chart, had 24 rushing yards on seven carries in their win over the Bengals.