Arrowhead Addict
FanSided

Eight KC Chiefs players poised to improve in 2021

By Farzin Vousoughian

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 25: Tyreek Hill #10 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown with teammates Byron Pringle #13, Daniel Kilgore #67, and Demarcus Robinson #11 during a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on October 25, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 25: Tyreek Hill #10 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates a fourth quarter touchdown with teammates Byron Pringle #13, Daniel Kilgore #67, and Demarcus Robinson #11 during a game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on October 25, 2020 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 9
Next
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 19: Clyde Edwards-Helaire #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Bills Stadium on October 19, 2020 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 19: Clyde Edwards-Helaire #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Bills Stadium on October 19, 2020 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB

When then-Chiefs running back Damien Williams opted out of the 2020 season, it was easy for the Chiefs to name Clyde Edwards-Helaire, their first-round pick, the starter at running back for Week 1. He did not disappoint in his NFL debut.

Edwards-Helaire ran the ball 25 times for 138 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans, helping the Chiefs win 34-20 in the NFL’s first game of the season. Edwards-Helaire’s biggest game came against the Buffalo Bills when he ran for 161 yards. He contributed to Kansas City’s 245 yards rushing in that game, the most rushing yards as a team in a game under Andy Reid’s guidance in Kansas City.

After the first six weeks of the season, Edwards-Helaire was second in rushing yards with only Derrick Henry of the Titans ahead of him. However, because Kansas City has a stacked offense with Pro Bowlers like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce on the team, it wasn’t always easy for Edwards-Helaire to keep up statistically with the best running backs in the league, especially considering Kelce was second and Hill was eighth in receiving yards last season.

Edwards-Helaire finished 19th in rushing yards with 803 yards in 13 games. He missed the last two regular season games due to a hip and ankle injury. He also did not play in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos due to an illness. Had he played in those games, the likelihood of him surpassing the 1,000-yard rushing mark would have been high.

Despite doing well in yardage, Edwards-Helaire saw the end zone just six times, including once in the postseason. His four rushing touchdowns were still the most on the team as the Chiefs finished with 13 altogether, eighth fewest in the NFL.

With Le’Veon Bell and Williams no longer on the team, Edwards-Helaire will continue to be the feature back in Kansas City. He ran the ball 181 times, which was 17th most in the NFL while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. If Edwards-Helaire stays healthy and plays a full season, more touches could lead to more yards and more scores for him in 2021.

Home/Chiefs Roster