Clyde Edwards-Helaire Ranked as Top Kansas City Chiefs Trade Candidate

As the 2023 offseason rolls on and training camp approaches, one outlet speculated that KC could move on from its 2020 first-round pick.

Oct 16, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25) runs the ball during the first half against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs — and the NFL as a whole — are in the middle of a dead period of sorts. Training camp is getting closer and closer with each passing day, yet it's also still a few weeks away. Clubs' offseason activities have slowed down and transactions around the league have been minimal as of late, but that timeline could be accelerated with the arrival of camp and the preseason.

For the Chiefs, general manager Brett Veach doesn't have many holes on the roster ahead of the 2023 regular season. Kansas City's Super Bowl LVII-winning team returns plenty of veterans and young pieces alike this year, and a combination of April draft picks and offseason free agent signings will serve as an injection of new talent. Trades could be explored as an avenue for fine-tuning the roster, though, by the time September rolls around.

In a recent article for Bleacher Report, Jake Rill listed three of the Chiefs' top trade candidates ahead of training camp. Offensive tackle Lucas Niang and defensive end Mike Danna made the cut, but it was running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire who occupied the No. 1 spot. Here's Rill's reasoning for Kansas City to potentially part ways with its 2020 first-round pick: 

There were plenty of reasons to believe Clyde Edwards-Helaire would become a star running back for the Chiefs when the team selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. However, that hasn't exactly been the case.

Edwards-Helaire's production has yet to live up to expectations. In fact, his numbers have gone down over his three-year NFL career. This past season, he rushed for a career-low 302 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games.

One reason for Edwards-Helaire's lack of production has been the several injuries he's endured. But even when he was healthy this past season, he was often behind Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon in the backfield pecking order.

Now that Kansas City also has La'Mical Perine in the mix, it may be time to move on from Edwards-Helaire. He's only 24, so there should be plenty of interested teams. And it would be wiser for the Chiefs to get something in exchange for him than to not utilize him.

All of Rill's assessments can be viewed as accurate. Since entering the league three years ago, Edwards-Helaire hasn't done a ton to justify the Chiefs' selection of him early in the 2020 NFL Draft. Durability and production have been question marks (sometimes going hand-in-hand) in every season, and the former LSU standout's playing time has diminished in each of his first three campaigns with the team. With Pacheco and McKinnon presumably ahead of him on the 2023 depth chart, there isn't a huge role waiting for him within the confines of the offense moving forward.

Of course, all of those tidbits could be reasons why Edwards-Helaire wouldn't have great trade value. A look back to the summer of 2019 could prove to be a refresher, as the Chiefs traded seemingly struggling veteran running back Carlos Hyde to the Houston Texans in exchange for developmental offensive tackle Martinas Rankin. The nature of the running back position in both shelflife and widespread talent, regardless of draft position or signing status, makes reclamation projects much less valuable. Edwards-Helaire to Hyde isn't a one-to-one comparison, although similar returns could be practical.

At any rate, there's been no indication from the Chiefs that the organization is ready to move on from Edwards-Helaire this season. In fact, general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid have praised the now fourth-year halfback in recent weeks and they are excited to see what he can do with a healthy offseason under his belt. The trade possibility will still be there during the preseason, but don't necessarily expect a swap to happen. 

Read More: The 2023 Chiefs Draft Pick No One is Talking About