The Chiefs are two years in the Clyde Edwards-Helaire era in Kansas City. After finishing 23rd in the NFL in rushing following what was championship season in 2019, General Manager Brett Veach drafted the star running back from LSU to improve the ground game on offense. CEH was coming off of a championship season of his own following the 2019 college football season as the Tigers defeated Clemson for the national title.
Clyde Ewards-Helaire was given high expectations right off the bat upon getting drafted. At the time, several NFL draft experts compared his style of play to the likes of former NFL running backs like Maurice Jones-Drew, Priest Holmes, and Barry Sanders, which only set the bar higher. Unfortunately, he’s yet to make the same type of impact for Andy Reid’s offense through two seasons.
In 2020, CEH was given the benefit of the doubt for the pedestrian numbers he put up in his rookie campaign, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic that dramatically altered the NFL’s landscape. The constant testing, social distancing, inability to be around teammates, a light training camp, and no preseason made the acclimation to the pros more difficult for rookies like Edwards-Helaire.
Still, CEH led the Chiefs in rushing with 181 carries for 803 yards and four rushing TDs. CEH also showed he could be a moderate threat out of the backfield with 36 catches for 297 yards and one score. All in just 13 starts.
Considering he had a limited offseason that was decimated by the pandemic and put up those kind of numbers. It was encouraging to think about the potential of Edwards-Helaire’s development with an entire offseason.
Unfortunately, CEH’s sophomore season was rather disappointing. A collar bone injury pretty much derailed his season just five games into the 2021 campaign. He’d miss the following five games but would return in Week 11 against Dallas, where he’d rush for 63 yards and a score on 12 carries. His production would decrease over the next four games before missing Kansas City’s final two regular-season games going into the postseason.
After only ten regular-season starts in a 17-game season, Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 517 yards on 119 carries and four rushing TDs and caught 19 passes for 129 yards and two receiving TDs.
Speaking of the playoffs, that’s where’d you’d prefer your starters shine the brightest. Look back at the 2018 and 2019 postseason runs, and you’d find that’s when former starting RB Damien Williams played his best football. However, this is an area CEH has failed to produce.
In four career playoff appearances, the second-year back has just 28 carries for 167 yards and one score. While there may be some blame on Andy Reid sticking to his reputation for being a pass-happy coach and constantly keeping the ball in Patrick Mahomes’ hands, CEH’s lack of production in games that matter is still unacceptable.
That being said, it’s still hard to truly assess what the Chiefs have in Edwards-Helaire because he’s yet to finish a full NFL season. One thing for sure is he’s definitely not the guy the Chiefs thought he’d be when they initially drafted him.
The only thing going for CEH is the fact that he’ll be 23 years of age going into his third season when the 2022 campaign kicks off later this fall. Perhaps another offseason with a chance to get back to 100% regarding his health is what he needs to get his career back on track and show the Chiefs that he is the guy they drafted him to be.
There’s also a chance Kansas City’s backfield will feature different personnel once September rolls around. As of early March, CEH is the only running back currently under contract for the Chiefs.
Running backs Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon and fullback Michael Burton are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, while RB Derrick Gore is an exclusive rights free agent.
