Chiefs roster evaluation: Running back committee comes with mixed reviews

What we learned

The 2019 season was a wild and confusing one for the Chiefs’ running backs, and it is hard to make any concrete takeaways for backs in 2020.

LeSean Mccoy maybe the easiest piece of the puzzle to figure out. In 2019, his stamina and age started to show prominently: fatigue keeping him out of games in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs were forced to rest him to stay fresh. His fumble issues also showed at inopportune times. Ten years is a very long career for a running back, especially one of McCoy’s size, and it showed in 2019.

Mccoy finally won a Super Bowl ring, however, and he was able to spend another season with Andy Reid. He also got to take handoffs from the new face of the NFL. He has a real chance at a  Hall of Fame spot, and the only thing left to do is retire. Sure, other teams in the NFL could use a veteran running back on the roster (e.g. the Dolphins), but any GM would be hard pressed to pay Shady’s price for a player who can only go for 11 games in a season.

A few of the other running backs on the roster seem to have set destinies as well. Spencer Ware is probably going to hit free agency again after an injury saw him off to IR. After the performances he gave this season, it would not be surprising to see a team at least give him a shot on their roster.

Darrel Williams also had a very surprising showing in 2019 during Damien Williams and Mccoy’s absence. With 2020 being his contract year (before restricted free agency), expect him to play even harder next season for the Chiefs. Darwin Thompson’s rookie contract keeps him on the roster and hopefully he can spend time in the offseason and training camp getting better, or else he may be in a different jersey in a few seasons.

That brings us to Damien Williams.

Damien Williams has a team option on the third year of his contract, and at the time of writing, the Chiefs have not yet made a statement on whether or not they would be exercising that choice. (It has to be decided by the 18th of March.) With a tight cap in 2020 and a few long-term contracts that need to be finished, it’s possible the Chiefs could move on.

On the other hand, Damien Williams was a star in the playoffs and was possibly the second most important player on the team during the three-game stretch. He was arguably robbed of the Super Bowl MVP trophy, with his efforts being what sealed the deal for the Chiefs in the end General managers and team executives can argue that what matters most is production on and off the field, but in reality, moments and highlights have just as much weight as stats and analytics. With Williams’ long touchdown fresh on the minds of players and executives alike, Williams’ 2020 roster spot seems safer in the end.

If this were up to Damien Williams, the future would be extremely predictable. He has earned a much larger paycheck than he is getting in K.C. He is a Super Bowl champion with impressive highlights and experience playing with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. That is worth qjuite a bit of money and there are a few teams that would give him that money. The problem is, the decision is not being made by Damien Williams, it is being made by Brett Veach and K.C. executives.

Sadly, the decision on Damien Williams has to be made before the draft. What happens if Williams is allowed to walk, the team tries for D’Andre Swift or Jonathan Taylor and another team snatches them up? Nothing in free agency is guaranteed, even witih players who agree to a deal prematurely (see Earl Thomas), so what if the team tries for Austin Ekeler or Melvin Gordon and come up empty-handed?

The problem with playing it extremely safe and keeping Williams in the back pocket while going into free agency and the draft however is that Williams represents a $2.8 million dollar cap hit when the team is already struggling against the tight cap ceiling. Maybe the CBA gets approved and increases the cap space by a drastic amount that makes that number insignificant, but does that happen before March 18th (or at all)?

These are all question general manager Brett Veach has to be asking himself right now, and he is asking these questions about a player with a high ceiling and low floor. He has a history of success running the ball in the late season and playoffs, along with a history of not playing very well in the first half of the season.

It is all confusing and risky, but Chiefs Kingdom can be confident that given his track record, Veach is going to make the right decision and help elevate the team.