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The Kansas City Chiefs have parted ways with fifth-year running back La’Mical Perine on May 17 according to KPRC2 NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
Within an hour of the news being reported, Perine took to social media with a brief message that appeared to be related. “Take the wins and losses but learn from every move …” He wrote.
Perine is a former fourth-round selection of the New York Jets in 2020. He first signed with the Chiefs organization at the tail end of the 2022 campaign in January of 2023 after practice squad looks with the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins.
With Kansas City, Perine took the field three times during the regular season with 59 snaps on offense and another 55 snaps on special teams according to Pro Football Reference. He was also active for three playoff appearances in winter of 2024, earning a Super Bowl ring for his efforts.
Due to his veteran savvy and special teams ability, Perine was elevated ahead of undrafted rookie Deneric Prince in 2023. Although he has quickly been overshadowed by new additions like Keaontay Ingram last year and rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit this spring.
Perine finished his Chiefs career with 77 rushing yards (3.5 per carry), 33 receiving yards and four first downs. He did not find his way into the end zone during his limited opportunity in KC.
Chiefs RB2 Role Could Be Wide Open in 2024
Third-year professional Isiah Pacheco is the bell cow halfback once again heading into the 2024 season. That much is clear.
Beyond that, the running back room seems to be wide open with Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the most experienced ball carrier behind Pacheco.
There’s the aforementioned Ingram — a former sixth-round talent of the Arizona Cardinals who general manager Brett Veach reminded reporters about after the NFL draft. And of course, Rees-Zammit, the new Swiss army knife from Wales.
From there, the Chiefs have accumulated a collection of priority UDFAs over the past two offseasons. Prince still remains from the 2023 class, with intriguing prospects Emani Bailey and Carson Steele joining him in 2024.
Journeyman UDFA Hassan Hall rounds out the room. And there’s always a chance that Kansas City brings back veteran staff favorite Jerick McKinnon around mandatory minicamp — as they’ve done in the past.
The well-rounded depth makes for an interesting training camp competition at the position. It also meant that Perine was expendable in May.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco Has Decent Shot at First 1,000-Yard Rushing Season in 2024
Pacheco improved from year one to year two despite three fewer appearances last season. A large part of that was the Chiefs’ trust in him, considering his rushing attempts per game spiked from 10.0 to 14.6.
With more opportunities, the seventh-round sleeper was able to bump his yards per game average up to 66.8 in 2023 — which was a full 18 yards higher than his rookie output.
He also reached the end zone more — with nine total touchdowns compared to five — and ran for 16 more first downs.
A big portion of Pacheco’s year two evolution came as a receiver. As a rookie, the Rutgers star was only targeted 14 times, catching 13 of those passes for 130 yards.
Patrick Mahomes utilized Pacheco much more as a pass-catcher in 2023 though, targeting him 49 times with tremendous results (44 catches for 244 yards). The dual threat impact boosted his total scrimmage yards well over 1,000 as a sophomore, but Pacheco came up just short in the rushing department.
Finishing at 935 rushing yards in 2023, it wouldn’t be a stretch to predict that Pacheco will break the 1,000-yard mark on the ground for the first time in campaign No. 3. The key will be staying healthy — something that prevented him from achieving this accomplishment a season ago.
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