Austin Ekeler among free agent running back options for the Chiefs

The Affordable Options

The CBA will significantly effect the Chiefs cap situation in 2020, and at the time of writing, the CBA has not been voted on by the players. In K.C.’s worst case scenario, this deal does not get done, and Sammy Watkins is not willing to work with Brett Veach and crew to restructure his deal for a more team friendly cap hit. This leaves the Chiefs extremely tight on cash and essentially forced to send Damien Williams to free agency in order to preserve money.

This scenario forces the Chiefs to shop cheaper options at running back, and there are plenty of those in this season’s free agency pool. The list includes looking for another paycheck to help secure some cash before retirement (and a Super Bowl to go along with it) along with players returning from rough seasons or injury.

Jordan Howard

Of those players looking to redeem himself, Jordan Howard stands above the rest as the player with the most potential. Howard carried the Bears offense in 2018, and if it had not been for the now infamous “Double Doink,” he could have easily played in that year’s Super Bowl.

Last offseason, the Bears chose to bet on Tarik Cohen and traded Howard to the Eagles for a sixth round pick which could become a fifth. A season after Horward had a near-1000 yard season, he was traded for only a sixth round pick.

The Eagles do not look set to resign Howard, with Miles Sanders showing that he could carry the load in 2019, meaning Howard has been replace by rookie running backs twice now. After being replaced like that, Howard has to prove himself, which typically means taking a cheap, short-term contract and playing hard.

Over the Cap values Jordan Howard at $1.4 million annually, which is half of Damien Williams. That might not sound like a large amount to save, but that is the difference of three minimum salary players, which maybe necessary to help bolster the roster.

Matt Breida

Jordan Howard may run hard and get a ton of yards per carry, but he does not fit in with the Chiefs’ offensive theme: speed. So who would the Chiefs pick up to fit that offensive motif? How about the only man willing to challenge Tyreek Hill for the “Cheetah” nickname?

Matt Breida is set to become a restricted free agent, with San Francisco highly unlikely to resign him with the Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman playing like they are. Breida only started in five games and only had 123 carries, which is extremely low for a team that is built on their ground game. Without a huge breakout since early in 2018, Breida does not have much going for him at the negotiation table.

However, Over the Cap values Matt Breida at $1.4 million annually, which is also about half of Damien Williams contract. That sounds good, but as an RFA, the Niners can match any offer to Breida, which complicates the picture. The money would have to be proportional to Breida’s impact and value yet also high enough to keep John Lynch from matching the deal.

Between the draft and free agency, the Chiefs have plenty of options at running back that both help the cap situation and make the team better offensively.