The Kansas City Chiefs have frequently utilized the depth of their running back room over the years. The reliance on the high-powered passing game has often devalued the need for a consistent lead running back in the system.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the prized first-round pick in the Chiefs’ 2020 NFL draft. The belief was that he would be the regular, consistent starting running back, but injuries have become his greatest nemesis in two seasons. The Chiefs have in the past acquired veterans L’eVeon Bell and Jerrick McKinnon to help during injuries and have recently signed Ronald Jones for this season.
Edwards-Helaire spoke about his new teammate Jones and the rest of the running backs on the roster during Thursday’s OTAs press conference. He’s not feeling threatened by Jones’ presence and actually is quite familiar with him.
“He was somebody that I’d talked to beforehand,” said Edwards-Helaire. “I mean, you got Leonard (Fournette) who was in his room. Then you have Ron, (he) was also in Tampa, so it wasn’t just like, ‘Oh, this is just some random dude coming in.’ We had a conversation with each other, being on FaceTime with each other. I’m close friends with Leonard. Everybody knows that he’s a clown, so it’s like, we kind of talk and do those things. But I was it was like, you know a running back kind of like mingle thing like we don’t see him like ‘Oh man, (he) plays for this team. I’m not going to talk to him.’ Like we’re all people. So it’s just one of those things I talked to him like any normal person, and when he came in, it was just it is what it is. Talk to you as a person. You have a question? I have a question! We learned from each other. And we go out here and try to improve. That’s about it.”
Edwards-Helaire missed seven regular-season games in 2021, finishing with 517 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He struggled with a knee injury most of the season, but the emergence of former Chiefs running back Darrel Williams helped keep the offense moving in Edwards-Helaire’s absence. The same depth is expected with the team’s current running backs room.
One thing that makes the situation less contentious for Edwards-Helaire, he’s comfortable learning and working alongside anybody.
“I can go to anybody,” said Edwards-Helaire. “It’s funny that you say that because I remember telling Greg Lewis, ‘Man, I can have a baby in here teaching me, but if they are telling me something I don’t know, it’s something that I can learn from.’ I could care less who is actually teaching me. (Isiah) Pacheco, (Tayon) Fleet-Davis, or (Jerrion) Ealy might see something that I didn’t see. And that’s just what it is. You can train everything what you want to do, but what you can’t train is professionals’ eyes, and that’s the thing that separates everybody apart.”
The Chiefs are hoping for an injury-free season from Edwards-Helaire, who hasn’t played an entire season in his professional career. The addition of Jones and draft pick Pacheco will help keep the offense going in the event of another injury.
