How Highly Does Chiefs GM Brett Veach Value RB Mitchell?

The Kansas City Chiefs made the smart move and brought in some extra depth at their running back position. After seeing how the ground game was affected by injuries last season, the additions in the area can only boost their efforts going forward.

The Chiefs brought in veteran running back Elijah Mitchell, who formerly played with the San Francisco 49ers. While he didn't play last season for the Niners, he has shown his abilities in years prior, only enticing the Chiefs front office to pull the trigger and bring him into the roster.

In fact, Kansas City general manager Brett Veach addressed the media on Thursday to discuss several topics. One of which was the addition of Mitchell, and what he could bring to the table. After all, bringing in a running back who hasn't played since the 2023 campaign is always a gamble.

"Elijah Mitchell, listen, we're going to the Well, again, we had a good experience a few years back when we had done a lot of work on Jerick McKinnon, and he was a guy that had great career in Minnesota, went to the Niners and just couldn't get healthy, couldn't get right, was always banged up," Veach said.

"This kid's still young, and although he's battled a lot of injuries, we've always liked the tape. We've always liked the person, great kid, similar skill set, in a sense, he's explosive, he has great hands, and I'm sure you've even heard Kyle Shanahan talk about, when he's healthy, how good he is, and I think it's no secret with him that he's got to stay healthy."

In 27 career regular-season games with San Francisco, Mitchell collected over 1,200 rushing yards, brought in 76 first downs, and did so in 327 career carries. His best campaign came back in 2021, where he collected 963 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns.

"I think probably the success we had with McKinnon gave us some confidence to try it again. And you know, he'll have to get through training camp and get through the season healthy. But our trainers like what they saw in regards to his rehab from his injury last season, and so hopefully we can get him on the field, keep him on the field, because I think when he's healthy, he provides an explosive dynamic in both the run and pass," Veach said.

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