Kansas City Chiefs: Maclin Shmaclin, RUN THE BALL!

While the offensive line plays a big part in the success of the run game, the Chiefs also need better production from the running backs themselves. There are four running backs that are going to be competing for a role with the team in training camp: Spencer Ware, Kareem Hunt, Charcandrick West, and C.J. Spiller.

In this writer’s humble opinion, West is a great third running back. He provides good depth and can fill in if needed, but I don’t think he should be a featured part of the offense. I think Spiller is done. If he can revive his career here in K.C. and be a regular contributor, then that’s a bonus, but I don’t think anyone should be relying on it. I would expect that the bulk of the Chiefs’ rushing attack will come from some combination of Ware and Hunt.

Let’s start with Ware since he is more of a known commodity than the rookie. I feel like there are two key points:

1. When he is fresh and healthy, Ware is a productive starting caliber NFL running back.

2. He has not yet shown the ability to withstand a featured back workload for an entire season and remain productive.

There was a point early in last season where I thought the Chiefs had found their next great feature back in Spencer Ware. In 2015 when Jamaal Charles went down to injury it was actually Charcandrick West that got the majority of the carries in his absence. However, Ware proved himself so productive as the change of pace back that going into 2016 he surpassed West and became the number one guy. Through the first six games things were going great. In fact, if you combine his 2015 numbers with the first six games of 2016 you get:

183 attempts, 962 yards rushing, 5.3 YPC, 21 receptions, 290 yards receiving, 10 total TDs

Ware was productive. Period. The problem is that from that point on Ware stopped being highly productive. He was banged up and never really got going again. In fact, after putting up at least 70 yards rushing in eight of the ten games that he received double digit carries through 2015 and the first six games of 2016 he failed to reach the 70 yard mark again the rest of the season despite getting double digit carries seven more times. He missed two games to injury and in the other nine he only averaged the following:

14.1 carries, 51.6 yards/game, 4.0 YPC, 2 total rushing TDs

Spencer Ware went from being a promising young starting running back to just a guy. Now maybe his injuries last season were just bad luck. Maybe he’ll start the season healthy, claim the featured running back position and stay healthy and productive for the entire season plus a playoff run. MAYBE. However, as a former quarterback, Ware simply doesn’t have the proven track record as a feature back. He never topped 200 carries in a season in college.

It could simply be that Ware is a much more productive running back when he isn’t asked to carry the work load every week throughout the season. If Ware proves this theory wrong, great, but I think when the Chiefs drafted Kareem Hunt they were preparing for the possibility that Ware is better as either the number two guy or part of an even split so he can stay fresh and not wear down.

That brings us to Kareem Hunt.