Weighing the Chiefs' Remaining Options at RB This Offseason

With some uncertainty surrounding the halfback position in Kansas City, what route should the club take as the offseason continues?

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At this point in the offseason, there aren't too many positions the Kansas City Chiefs should consider adding considerable depth to. That's a testament to the work general manager Brett Veach has done thus far, although there's one particular spot that needs to be monitored closely.

There was already some uncertainty surrounding the running back position, even before the recent release of La'Mical Perine. With that in mind, what route should Kansas City take to fortify the position group?

Joshua Brisco and Jordan Foote of Arrowhead Report on SI.com discuss.

Joshua Brisco: I think the Chiefs' running back depth chart is quietly the most volatile group on the roster, but I understand why it hasn't gotten more attention. The "running backs don't matter" movement of recent years has helped clubs be smarter with their team-building, but those four words do lack some context. Running backs, in almost all cases, aren't worth drafting highly or signing to significant contracts. The position can be a bit of a crapshoot, which seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco and first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire illustrate. Plus, "average" running back play is usually enough for a good running game, given a solid offensive line and general offensive competence, which teams are always striving for anyway.

But for the Chiefs, is this current group passable? Pacheco — an unquestionably fun running back who is good enough to keep KC's offense multi-dimensional — had offseason surgery after his rookie season and missed a handful of games in 2023. Edwards-Helaire, with an injury history of his own, hasn't shown that he can carry an RB1 workload effectively, averaging a career-worst 3.2 yards per attempt in '23. Jerick McKinnon is still a free agent, but I'm wondering if KC wants Edwards-Helaire to step into that passing-down McKinnon role, though I'm not sure he is the pass-blocker or pass-catcher McKinnon was in previous years. If Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire are your No. 1 and No. 3 backs, you're in fine shape. If Pacheco goes down, I don't know how the Chiefs adjust.

Jordan Foote: It truly does feel like they're on thin ice in the halfback room. Upgrading over Pacheco shouldn't be the focus, but rather upgrading what surrounds Pacheco due to the same durability things you mentioned. It's a matter of when, not if, Kansas City relies on someone else to spell the 25-year-old either in the backfield or in the passing game. Pacheco improved in pass protection and as a receiver in 2023, although he still leaves some to be desired. Edwards-Helaire is a mostly fine depth piece but isn't totally reliable in his own right.

That leaves me with three choices for you. If you're the Chiefs, do you reunite with McKinnon, hit the free agent market for a different veteran (Dalvin Cook?) or allow your in-house candidates (the path Brett Veach seems to be a fan of) to battle it out? There might not be a wrong answer here if someone pops, but one player does need to cement himself as running back No. 3.

Brisco: "Thin ice" is a good way to put it. Pacheco could skate all year, but if it cracks, I'm nervous. I'm glad you alluded to Veach's direct shout-out to Keaontay Ingram; I try not to be overly gullible to press conference cliches but when the GM goes out of his way to talk about how they like a player he wasn't directly asked about, that's worth noting.

I'd bring back McKinnon without hesitation based on his 2022 season, but entering his age-32 campaign after dealing with a serious late-season injury in 2023 (playing running back is hard) and a seemingly lessened role even before the injury, I'm not sure if the Chiefs think he has much left in the tank. (He, incredibly, returned for the Super Bowl — if that's our lasting memory of McKinnon, it's a great way to go out.)

I'm unmoved by Cook for now. At this point, I lean toward the in-house battle where the Chiefs just throw numbers at the position and hope that Ingram or one of the UDFA running backs can take on that RB3 role or, as I'm holding out hope for, a chance to truly be the Pacheco backup, leaving Edwards-Helaire in a more specialized role.

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