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Kansas City Chiefs: Analyzing the future options at running back

By Grant Tuttle

OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 02: Spencer Ware #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after scoring against the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 2, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - DECEMBER 02: Spencer Ware #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after scoring against the Oakland Raiders during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 2, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 11: Kareem Hunt #27 of the Kansas City Chiefs tries to fight off a tackle from Patrick Peterson #21 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of the game at Arrowhead Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 11: Kareem Hunt #27 of the Kansas City Chiefs tries to fight off a tackle from Patrick Peterson #21 of the Arizona Cardinals during the first half of the game at Arrowhead Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

The case for a feature running back

This is what we have come to know in Kansas City. With a rich history of talent at the running back position, we have seen the likes of Jamaal Charles, Priest Holmes, Christian Okoye, and Marcus Allen. With one running back that is completely dominant, we can see that defenses struggle to defend the passing game because of their worry about the runner out of the backfield. A system like this would make it easy for the rest of the offense to be on the same page and adjust to the single running back.

POINTS OF REFERENCE

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Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley are not only known as some of the best running backs in the NFL but also, some of the best players overall. No offense is more reliant on their running back than the Dallas Cowboys with Elliott. It can occasionally appear that Elliott is keeping the Cowboys alive. With his explosiveness and gel with the offense, the Cowboys appear to have a working system with their feature back.

We have seen this not go so well in several places. With the Broncos and Monte Ball and Tatum Bell. With the Giants Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. With the Chargers with Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert. These are examples of failures in this system. Because they struggled as feature backs, these teams resorted to doing by committee work as no one was a clear-cut starter for the team.

HOW THE CHIEFS COULD USE THIS SYSTEM

The sky is the limit. If the Chiefs want to invest money into a very talented free agent from a talented offense, they could do so. If the Chiefs wanted to take a running back in the first round, they could do that as well. If the Chiefs think that Spencer Ware has what it takes to be a feature back, that is also an option.

No matter what they choose to do, it is my hope that they will focus on what their offense should be about: Patrick Mahomes. Whatever option they choose, if they decide to go with a feature back, I hope they get someone who compliments the rest of the offense with their particular set of skills out of the backfield.

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