Andy Reid, Carson Steele Dive Into the Progression of Chiefs' Rookie FB-RB Hybrid

As Carson Steele's rookie season winds down, it's also ramping up at the same time. He feels prepared for the stretch run of the year.

Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele (42) runs off the field during the first half against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Months ago at training camp, the Kansas City Chiefs knew very little about their running back rotation. Sure, Isiah Pacheco was projected to lead the way once again, but there were plenty of question marks elsewhere that only became more pressing near the beginning of September.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire going on the non-football illness list and Samaje Perine entering the fold complicated things. So did the addition of Kareem Hunt. An under-the-radar part of the running back room, though, was undrafted rookie free agent Carson Steele and whether he'd even make the team.

Some four months later, Steele remains on the active 53-man roster. Head coach Andy Reid thinks after adding new elements to his repertoire on the fly, the rookie has brought value in his debut campaign.

"Yeah, Carson's done a nice job," Reid said. "We've asked him to play fullback and special teams, two of the things he didn't do, and he's really developed into a pretty good fullback in there. At the same time, he can carry the ball. We know that – he started the season off as our running back and toted the load there in a couple of those games. That's a plus to have."

Speaking to the media this week, Steele pointed to the signing of Hunt as something that helped. The 29-year-old is leading by example in his second stint with the team, thus paving the way for inexperienced players like Steele to pick things up over time.

"Just watching him, he's an eight-year guy, nine-year guy," Steele said. "Just being able to watch him and kind of follow in his footsteps, not even like in the running back role. Blocking, catching out of the backfield, stuff like that. It's really helped me improve my game too as well, especially learning different types of blocking techniques too from him."

With Perine coming on strong as of late and Pacheco back from an in-season injury, it's been a tale of two seasons for Steele. Since setting a season-high mark with 17 carries for 72 yards in a Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons, his workload on offense has evaporated. In 13 games thereafter, he's amassed 22 rushes for 59 yards. In his last five outings, he has just 18 offensive snaps to show for. All of that hints at the rookie's first year being on the downswing.

Week 18, however, could reverse that trend. With Pacheco listed as out and Hunt being doubtful (and Edwards-Helaire no longer being on the team), the door appears wide open for a Perine-Steele duo to lead the way against the Denver Broncos. Allowing starting quarterback Carson Wentz to showcase his skills will be a focus, but so will getting the run game involved. That means plenty of the top two backs on Sunday afternoon, thus spelling out what could be Steele's most reps in quite some time.

Steele isn't sure what his exact role will be to close out the regular season but then again, that's been the case all year long. He'll do whatever is asked of him in Denver, just like he has before.

"There's no doubt that I'm gonna get a bit of extra specific-type of roles, but nothing's been really wired down to who's getting what between all the running backs and any other players, stuff like that," Steele said. "It's kind of a day-by-day thing, and kind of figure it out from there."

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