Chiefs Noncommittal About Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s Role in Potential Season Debut

Although Clyde Edwards-Helaire is officially back on the active roster, the Chiefs have yet to reveal how or when he will be used on offense.

Jan 13, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) catches a pass against the Miami Dolphins in a 2024 AFC wild card game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Early in the 2024-25 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs have dealt with plenty of availability issues for a handful of their players. The reigning Super Bowl champs have yet to reach full strength, whether it's due to ongoing recoveries from past injuries, unexpected ailments in-season or non-football issues. Running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire falls under the latter umbrella and while it won't make up for the whole group, his return should help in some capacity.

The problem is that Kansas City isn't quite sure what that capacity is. Speaking to the media this week after Edwards-Helaire got activated from the non-football illness list, head coach Andy Reid was noncommittal regarding the veteran halfback's immediate role.

"Yeah, we'll just see how that goes, Adam (Teicher), and how it all works in," Reid said. "We've got to look at everything on that – special teams, etcetera, etcetera. But he's good to go [and] practicing, knows what he's doing. He's feeling great, which is the most important thing."

Reid also declined to reveal whether Edwards-Helaire's season debut will take place on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. He spent more than a month on the aforementioned NFI list after being placed on it prior to Week 1's kickoff. The fifth-year man's struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and cyclic vomiting syndrome are well-documented, and Edwards-Helaire even opened up about them during training camp.

Now healthy and eligible to play, the question becomes what Kansas City does at the running back spot. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, like Reid, didn't seem to have many answers.

“I don’t know, we’ll see," Nagy said. "We’ll leave that up to Coach, I’m sure he has a plan and that sort of thing. Clyde’s been great in meetings, and we all know who Clyde is [and] what he can do. Again, I go back to who he is as a person and what he’s all about. We just have so much appreciation for him and [I'll] just let that go with Coach and (Brett) Veach and let them play that out.”

The running back rotation the Chiefs have right now is nothing like what they fielded entering the year. A trio of Kareem Hunt, Samaje Perine and rookie fullback Carson Steele has taken control with Isiah Pacheco injured, and Hunt's emergence (temporarily) eliminates the need for a No. 1 option. Reid is on record saying he's comfortable giving Hunt the lion's share of available carries out of the backfield.

Steele's lack of ball security likely makes him the expendable piece on offense, especially considering he can still make an impact on special teams. Perine is currently the closest thing Kansas City has to Edwards-Helaire. His abilities as a pass protector and receiver mimic what the champs look for in a third-down back. He's averaging 5.4 yards per touch, which is up from the 4.9 career mark Edwards-Helaire boasts.

No matter how solidified the splits are, though, it's always good to have another option. The Chiefs know that more than just about any NFL team right now. Factoring in Edwards-Helaire's durability concerns in the past, a dialed-back role wouldn't be the worst thing for him. Whenever he returns to the field for in-game action, it will be a nice 2024 comeback story for one of the more beloved players on the team.

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