What Will the Chiefs Do With Their Running Back Room in 2023?
The Kansas City Chiefs are still riding the high of winning a Super Bowl title, but the offseason has officially begun. Soon, personnel decisions will start being made. The franchise tag window is open, and with free agency and the NFL Draft just around the corner, there’s no time to rest in the front office for the reigning Super Bowl champs.
There are plenty of questions about how the Chiefs could change over the course of the next few months, but discussions about the future of KC's running back room have been simmering since the midpoint of the 2022 season. The year opened with a depth chart of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, rookie Isiah Pacheco and Ronald Jones.
As the season began, Edwards-Helaire looked like he was about to have his best season to date in his professional career. In Week 1, he averaged six yards per carry and added three catches for 32 yards and two touchdowns. In Week 2, he didn’t get in the end zone but averaged nine yards per carry and added four catches for 44 yards against the Chargers. The Colts game was a disaster for the entire team, but Edwards-Helaire's seven carries for zero yards didn’t help his cause. Despite the non-existent rushing total, he still added five catches for 39 yards.
Edwards-Helaire’s season came to a peak in Week 4 as he rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown in addition to being on the receiving end of a highlight-reel touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the red zone in a 41-31 win on Sunday Night Football. It felt like Edwards-Helaire was finally being utilized in a way that many had hoped he would be used earlier in his career.
However, the season took a swift turn after the game against the Buccaneers. Edwards-Helaire turned in an average of 1.7 yards per carry against the Raiders with no touchdowns and followed that with nine carries for 33 yards and no catches against the Bills. Then, Pacheco took the lead role.
It seemed to take the staff and players a few games to adjust and figure things out, but Pacheco and McKinnon would eventually thrive in their new roles while Edwards-Helaire landed on injured reserve at the midway point of the season. The new duo's big breakout game came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. Pacheco led the team with 16 carries for 82 yards while McKinnon became the receiving back that Edwards-Helaire was once expected to be. McKinnon had six catches for 56 yards, and that was just the start of his ascension into Chiefs lore.
Pacheco would continue to be the featured running back down the stretch, but it was McKinnon who had a nose for the end zone. McKinnon broke an NFL record for running backs in the process, scoring receiving touchdowns in six consecutive games. He also set the Chiefs all-time running back record with nine receiving touchdowns in a single season.
Pacheco finished the regular and postseason with over 1,000 yards rushing and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. His style and energy are infectious and bring the team to another level. You saw it many times throughout the second half of the season and into the postseason, culminating with 5.1 yards per carry and a touchdown in a Super Bowl win.
Where do the Chiefs go from here? It feels obvious that the Chiefs have moved on from Edwards-Helaire as a major player in this team’s offense. He could still be used in a limited or reserve role, but the fact he didn’t show up to the Super Bowl parade and instead chose to be a runway model for fashion week in New York City may be telling. Maybe there’s a chance the Chiefs can trade him and try to get something in return for the former first-round pick. That may be best for both sides, otherwise Edwards-Helaire will likely go into next season as KC's third-string running back at best.
McKinnon is a free agent, but it would make sense for both sides to try and come to an agreement to keep him in Kansas City. He was perfect in the role he played in this offense, and that could continue for another season or two if he can stay healthy.
What's the most likely outcome?
Pacheco is the obvious choice to be Kansas City's lead back going into the 2023 season. The Chiefs could retain McKinnon and Edwards-Helaire to play backup/reserve/specialty roles. It’s not likely Ronald Jones, who saw very limited action this season, would be back. The Chiefs could utilize another late-round draft pick on a running back to keep the room youthful. If the Chiefs were to move on from McKinnon, Edwards-Helaire or Jones, drafting a running back would make a lot of sense. There’s always a chance the Chiefs get another veteran running back in free agency as well.
Pacheco is in line to be the man for the foreseeable future, but filling in the roles behind him will take center stage as the team begins making moves with back-to-back Super Bowl titles on everyone’s minds.
