The Kansas City Chiefs have made some difficult decisions this offseason with their roster. Numerous veterans have moved on in free agency or been released by the team as Kansas City is doing its best to remain on top of the NFL.
The defending Super Bowl champions had to release Frank Clark after the sides couldn’t agree on a restructured deal. Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and right tackle Andrew Wylie both departed in free agency. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and safety Juan Thornhill also left the team.
The Chiefs did a good job of replacing some of the departed players, bringing in Jawaan Taylor, Drue Tranquil and Charles Omenihu to fill some of the voids. The 2023 NFL Draft will provide another opportunity to add some talent to the roster. But, the difficult decisions are not yet done.
There is at least one more that the Chiefs will be making, as the deadline for fifth-year options on 2020 first-round picks is set just after the 2023 NFL Draft on May 1st. Kansas City has a decision to make when it comes to running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Edwards-Helaire was the final pick of the first round in the 2020 NFL Draft following the team’s Super Bowl victory that year. He was expected to be an integral part of the team’s offense, addressing their need for a running back. Alas, it turns out that spot can be filled by pretty much anyone.
This past season, Edwards-Helaire was surpassed by rookie seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco and veteran Jerick McKinnon on the depth chart. Injuries have impacted him greatly during the first three seasons of his career as he has missed at least three games every season.
That is as big of a reason as any that the PFF predicts that the Chiefs will decline Edwards-Helaire’s fifth-year option and it is hard to argue against that. Committing $5,461,000 to a player in 2024 who ended the 2022 season as a third-stringer would be a poor business decision.
When healthy, the LSU product has been pretty productive for the team. His PFF grade from 2020-2022 is 74.4, which is 48th out of 108 players at the position. His WAR over that time of 0.26 is 27th, so Edwards-Helaire is solid. He is certainly good enough to be on an NFL roster, but it won’t be with the Chiefs, who can’t justify that price tag.
The Chiefs have found success with a plug-and-play approach and will continue doing that with their backfield. Edwards-Helaire could be on the move during the draft to a team looking to bolster their backfield with an established option as he won’t be expensive to sign.
A Day 3 pick should get the deal done if a franchise wants to bring him in this season before he likely hits free agency in 2024. He makes for good insurance for the Chiefs should an injury occur to Pacheco, but if a trade offer comes along, it would not be a surprise to see Edwards-Helaire on the move.
