Chiefs 2023 53-Man Roster Prediction: Running Backs

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The Kansas City Chiefs enter 2023 with a handful of spots up for grabs. Once again, wide receiver will be fascinating to watch, in terms of who steps up and produces consistently. Kansas City will also have many opportunities for a defensive line that is extremely young, overall.

Every team has just one cut day this year. NFL squads will be down to 53 players by Tuesday, August 29th. In roughly three weeks, we will officially know who ends up making the Chiefs roster for 2023. In the meantime, we are going to do our best to try and predict who makes the cut, going position by position.

Next up on our list are the running backs. There will be one key decision to make on a former first-round pick. Meanwhile, Kansas City appears to have found another diamond in the rough as a depth piece. Let’s kick it off.

Read our first Chiefs 2023 53-man roster prediction article: Quarterbacks

Running Backs currently on the roster: Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Deneric Prince, La’Mical Perine

Dynamic Duo

The Chiefs do not have much questions about their starting running back duo. Each of these players may not have been receiving as big of roles with Kansas City originally. But after working hard and finding success in the most crucial moments, Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon have earned the top two spots.

Pacheco’s running style is unique. Yet, it is a perfect kind of play style to have within a Kansas City offense that generally airs it out all over the yard at a high rate. In the end, the physical, hard and demanding rushing ability places immediate punishment on opposing defenders. It is important to note that Pacheco had surgery on his hand and labrum after the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, it appears that he will be ready to roll by the time the regular season begins.

As for McKinnon, he is likely known more for his pass catching and pass blocking ability. His smoothness and natural feel for leverage creates easy yards after the catch. On top of that, McKinnon can shock defenders with the power that he provides when protecting the quarterback. All told, his subtle running style is a tremendous complement to Pacheco, as McKinnon can slice through tight areas and eat up extra yards quickly.

One Last Shot?

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Arguably the biggest question for the running back spot is, will Clyde Edwards-Helaire make the team? There have been some mentions this offseason of a possible minor trade. Elsewhere, the speculation of him just being outright cut on the lone cut day never seemed too unrealistic. I debated back and forth on if CEH would make the Chiefs roster for 2023.

You could convince me of either side of that argument. However, we officially predict that Edwards-Helaire will still make the team this year. For starters, CEH actually showed some flashes of improvement in areas like pass catching and rushing towards the outside edges last year. It was just unfortunate that another injury took him down. If the Chiefs happen to have an injury pop up at the running back spot, though, the team may feel more comfortable keeping Edwards-Helaire around. For what it is worth, there also appears to be some level of loyalty between this runner and Andy Reid, allowing him the opportunity to finish out his rookie contract in KC this season.

UDFA Continues To Turn Heads

From the onset of the offseason, if there was one rookie undrafted free agent that was potentially going to make the team, it was going to be Deneric Prince. The Tulsa product already had some level of hype to win a job. In college, he displayed a mix of power and speed that can make him challenging to corral in the open field.

Throughout training camp, we have seen that continue with how physical Prince can be when finishing off runs. On the other hand, this running back has been smooth as a pass catcher in training camp. Prince has simply made routes look effortless, which is not easy for a running back to do. With the way in which he has shined and improved already, it would be stunning if he did not make the 53-man roster at this point.

PROJECTED FINAL DEPTH CHART

RB1: Pacheco

RB2: McKinnon

RB3: Edwards-Helaire

RB4: Prince

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs 53-man roster prediction articles throughout the coming days. 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.