Isiah Pacheco said the detail-heavy coaching he is getting from Tashard Choice at Detroit Lions minicamp feels familiar to the standard he knew from Eric Bieniemy. The former Kansas City Chiefs running back is now in Detroit on a one-year deal and working as the No. 2 running back behind Jahmyr Gibbs.
Pacheco’s Detroit Lions reset
Pacheco spoke at minicamp about what Choice is demanding from him. “First and foremost, pinpointing the details in the work and coming out here and executing at a high level,” he said, describing the daily focus in Detroit.
He added that the next step is sharper than simple repetition: “But most importantly, [it's] not making the same mistake twice—coming out and being better from that mistake... the coach has pinpointed all the details at a high level. He loves the game. You can tell by his coaching. He's determined.”
The move puts Pacheco into a new role after four seasons at Arrowhead. Drafted in the seventh round in 2022, he now has to absorb a new system quickly while backing up Gibbs, and his comments show how much of that transition will hinge on how fast he handles the smallest details.
Eric Bieniemy and the Chiefs standard
Choice’s approach is landing in a larger coaching conversation that has followed the Kansas City Chiefs since they brought Eric Bieniemy back to replace Matt Nagy. The same kind of detail-and-accountability language has been coming from Chiefs players, which makes Pacheco’s comparison more than a throwaway compliment.
That comparison sits against a more complicated Chiefs backdrop. Bieniemy first held the offensive coordinator job for five seasons before leaving to join Ron Rivera’s staff with the Washington Commanders. Nagy took over in 2023, the Chiefs won their second consecutive Super Bowl that year, and the team later allowed Nagy’s contract to expire.
Bieniemy returned after serving as the Chicago Bears running backs coach in ’25, while Nagy is now with the New York Giants in the same capacity under Jim Harbaugh. For Pacheco, the takeaway is simple: the coaching standard he associates with Bieniemy is the same one he says he is hearing from Choice in Detroit, and that standard starts with not repeating mistakes.
