Carson Steele continues to grind his way onto Chiefs' 53-man roster

The undrafted running back is making life tough on the front office in Kansas City
Aug 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele (42) celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Bears during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 22, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele (42) celebrates after scoring against the Chicago Bears during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
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The Kansas City Chiefs may have found a Steele (pun intended) after the 2024 NFL Draft in undrafted UCLA and Ball State running back Carson Steele.

Entering his last preseason game against the Chicago Bears, Steele was already putting up a strong preseason with the Chiefs. In the first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Steele put up 29 yards and a touchdown on just four carries. The most impressive part? All 29 of those yards came after contact as the 6-foot-1 and 225 pound back refuses to be tackled by one defender.

He then played just six rushing snaps, seeing just three carries for eight yard against the Detroit Lions a week ago. However, Steele, the owner of a pet alligator, capped off his preseason with a dynamic outing against the Bears on Thursday night.

In the Chiefs' preseason finale, Steele saw the most playing time he has seen this summer, and he did not disappoint. He led the Chiefs in rushing on just four carries, racking up 50 yards and a touchdown. Steele also put together the highlight of the night, breaking tackles and grinding his way into the endzone on a 31 yard run:

Steele's pathway onto the roster and onto the field might be proving he can be a fullback. However, Steele has proven throughout both his collegiate career and in the preseason that he is much more than that. He busted onto the scene in 2022 as a sophomore at Ball State when he racked up over 1,700 total yards and 15 touchdowns before transferring to UCLA, adding another 1,000 total yards and eight touchdowns as a rotational back.

The former Bruin has can be a bellcow. He can be a change-of-pace player for Isaih Pacheco. He can play fullback and be a physical presense between the lines. Steele is proving he can be whatever the Chiefs need him to be.

Chiefs Carson Steele
Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Carson Steele (33) runs during the fourth quarter against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

And that is worth a roster spot on their final 53-man roster.

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Cory Kinnan

CORY KINNAN