In the latest Isiah Pacheco injury update, the Kansas City Chiefs running back has reportedly sustained a fractured fibula. In a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, September 15, Pacheco left the stadium on crutches and a walking boot wrapped around his right foot. Here’s what we know so far about the extent of his lower leg injury and how long it will take for the 25-year-old NFL star to recover before he’s back on the field.
How long will it take for Pacheco’s fibula injury to heal?
A broken or fractured fibula, including Pacheco’s injury, will generally take 6 to 12 weeks for a full recovery, according to AICA Orthopedics.
Pacheco is expected to go onto injured reserve with an ankle injury, meaning that he will miss at least four games, sources tell Jonathan Jones, a lead NFL insider for CBS. However, it will likely be longer than that, since “the belief is he would miss more than that for a full recovery.”
After an X-ray examination of his injured fibula on Sunday, per ESPN, Pacheco will be determining the extent of the bone fracture and whether there’s any ligament damage to his right ankle. This was also confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) by Ian Rapoport, a national insider for the NFL, who also believes that the running back “is set to miss real time.”
In Sunday’s game against the Bengals, Pacheco had 19 carries and rushed for 90 yards. He also caught five passes for 21 yards total.
As a backup, the Chiefs could use Samaje Perine, rookie Carson Steele, or perhaps look to the free agent market for players like Jerick McKinnon, who has been on the team for three seasons and helped them win Super Bowl LVIII.
Chiefs wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown also dislocated his shoulder in August and is scheduled to undergo surgery before he can return. The team also released wide receiver Kadarius Toney earlier in the 2024 season due to inconsistent performance and ongoing injuries.
