Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Are His Days In Kansas City Numbered?

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The Kansas City Chiefs received a fair amount of production from the running back position in 2022. Rookie Isiah Pacheco hit his stride late in the season and enjoyed a fantastic playoff run. That is especially true for Pacheco, in terms of his Super Bowl LVII performance. Jerick McKinnon was also crucial and became a touchdown machine in the latter stages of the season. However, there was very little success for running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, once again.

The LSU product has dealt with many bumps on the road during his Kansas City tenure. Overall, the Chiefs have never really received the production that many anticipated from him as a pass catcher. The issues involved in his running game have been continuous for all three years in the NFL. Most of all, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been bitten too many times with the injury bug.

It truly appears that Clyde Edwards-Helaire may not even see a fourth season on the Chiefs roster in 2023. Will Kansas City ultimately move on from the running back this offseason? Let’s kick it off.

Too Many Negative Contributing Factors

The book on Clyde Edwards-Helaire is pretty straightforward while he has been with Kansas City. He has averaged right around 4.3 or 4.4 yards per carry in each season. Granted, the rushing attempts have been minimal. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that the Chiefs are bound to throw the ball around the yard a ton. But also, Edwards-Helaire has not earned the extra carries during his prior stretches.

Unfortunately for both Clyde and the Chiefs, Kansas City is looking at far too many negative contributing factors, rather than positive ones. As mentioned above, Edwards-Helaire has never been able to replicate the same production or efficiency as a pass catcher that he showed in college. Running mistakes like bad vision, failing to hit the hole hard and lack of speed has hindered him far too often.

Then of course, you have the disappointment of constant nagging injuries that Edwards-Helaire has dealt with. He has only appeared in 33 of a possible 50 regular season games throughout his career. All told, there are just too many inconsistencies and issues that have not been fixed surrounding Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The old saying of actions speak louder than words is pretty telling, when it comes to the status of Clyde Edwards-Helaire. After suffering an ankle sprain midway through the 2022 regular season, Kansas City placed him on the injured reserve list. The Chiefs did have the opportunity to play him, or at least make him active, for Super Bowl LVII. Who knows if he would have got many touches if he were active, anyways. But ultimately, the Chiefs chose to make Clyde Edwards-Helaire a healthy scratch for the biggest game of the year.

Fast forward a few days to the Super Bowl LVII parade in Kansas City, and Edwards-Helaire was reportedly not even present. According to CBS Sports, he took part in New York Fashion Week, walking down the runway for Daniel’s Leather. There is always room for players to take their own time and do things that they enjoy outside of football. Yet, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was seemingly the only player that did not take part in the parade, a celebration of what the team had accomplished. Even players who were on the practice squad all season long were celebrating in Kansas City.

The Chiefs quickly issued an end of season team meeting around this same time after the Super Bowl. Perhaps, Clyde and the team already knew what was possibly coming this offseason. Did he already know that his time in Kansas City was nearing the end?

How Does Kansas City Build Running Back Room For 2023?

The running back position could become a sneaky area of need for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason. Yes, Pacheco looks to be a formidable ball carrier moving forward. We know that teams will need to stockpile as much depth at the position as they possibly can, however.

What will the decision turn out to be regarding Clyde Edwards-Helaire? The Chiefs do not have to move on from him, if they so choose. 2023 would be the final guaranteed season on his rookie deal, where he is due for around $1.9 million in base salary. As a former first-round pick, Edwards-Helaire is afforded a fifth-year team option. Kansas City likely declines that near $5.5 million option this offseason.

Even if the Chiefs move on from Clyde Edwards-Helaire, there are other roster decisions to be made at running back. McKinnon is a pending unrestricted free agent. Surely, the team and front office would want him back in Kansas City, given the success he has had. McKinnon has just gained so much trust from coaches and teammates. Though, there is always a chance of other teams outbidding the Chiefs in contract negotiations, from a dollars and cents perspective. Say McKinnon is back, Kansas City may still look to add another running back with a pick in the later rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft this upcoming April.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.