Matt Breida would be ideal addition to Kansas City Chiefs backfield

The Kansas City Chiefs would do well to find a way to import Matt Breida into the backfield competition before the season begins.

Rumor has it the San Francisco 49ers are going to do some reconfiguration when it comes to their talented backfield. If so, the Kansas City Chiefs would do well to seize on a nice roster opportunity when it comes to Matt Breida.

Breida is reportedly the odd man out these days if the Niners decide to make a change. In fact, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports believes that Breida won’t even be on the roster when the season starts, whether or not there’s a financial need.

"Matt Breida did not have a role on offense to end the season. The club placed a second-round tender on him as a restricted free agent, but I’m sure the 49ers would be willing to trade his rights for lower-round draft pick. Right now, Breida is most-likely to find himself on another team to open the season."

As Maiocco mentions, the 49ers didn’t play Breida much at all down the stretch or into the postseason. He had 14 total carries as a healthy player from Week 13 on and he had a single carry to his name combined in the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl matchup between the Niners and Chiefs.

Still after the season, it looked as if the 49ers really valued Breida as an asset by placing a second-round tender on him. As an RFA, the Niners would be able to match any deal offered to him or, if they decided against it, they would receive a second round selection from any team that did sign him. Given the fact that a second round pick would net any franchise one of the top backs in this year’s class, it felt like the Niners way of saying, “Breida isn’t going anywhere.”

That’s what makes Maiocco’s report so interesting, but he does have a point about usage. There’s also the reality that the Niners also have (and love) Tevin Coleman, Jerick McKinnon, and Raheem Mostert.

The second round tender brings with it a cap hit of nearly $3.3 million, and that’s more money than the Chiefs can likely stomach in a trade. However it’s also too much for the Niners to hang onto. This brings up an important question: can the Chiefs acquire Breida as a free agent?

The reality is that Breida is still one of the NFL’s fastest players and despite being limited in his carries last year to 123, he still averaged 5.0 yards/carry to generate a total of 623 rushing yards and 1 score. He also caught 19 passes for 120 yards and another touchdown.

The 49ers have definitely sent mixed signals about what they want out of Matt Breida, but as a player, he’s stayed as consistent as ever. He’s a demon in open space who can outrun most defenders, which would give Andy Reid yet another exciting player on offense—as if there wasn’t already enough to work with.