It is the middle of June, and it has become readily apparent that we are in the middle of the offseason. Fans and journalists are chomping at the bit, desperate for an ounce of news and rumors they can talk about.
Sometimes, however, sports media gets so desperate for rumors of any kind that they will start making up their own, and that is where this piece from Bleacher Report came from—the one that says the Kansas City Chiefs should consider trading for New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley.
Let me be perfectly clear about something: Absolutely no one in the Chiefs organization has brought up this idea or is even considering it. This is simply a trade someone made up as a thought exercise, and this piece is in no way a response to any real rumor of any substance.
Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton recently proposed a Saquon Barkley trade for the Kansas City Chiefs. Let’s look at the pros and cons of it all.
Having said all of those necessaries, let us pretend, for the sake of argument and of me getting another piece out onto the ethos of the internet—that the Chiefs would be amenable to the proposed deal by Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton—that the Chiefs should trade RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire and a 4th round pick to the Giants for Saquon Barkley—and analyze the pros and cons of such a transaction.
I can’t lie and say that I have a clear-cut opinion on such a trade. In fact, this is not even my first version of a reaction. I have been agonizing over my thoughts on this matter, so much so that my original piece was filled with my vehemence regarding the terrible idea I thought this theoretical trade really was. Then as I was doing the research, I was faced with the realization that maybe Wharton was onto something.
Having said all that, let us weigh the pros and cons of this proposed fantasy trade and you can decide for yourself.
The Pros of the Trade
The most obvious pro of the trade for the Chiefs is that Barkley is a better running back than Edwards-Helaire. The numbers support that statement.
During his rookie season, Barkley had 7 games where he rushed for over 100 yards and was the recipient of a litany of awards. Despite missing four weeks with a high ankle sprain sustained during Week 3, Barkley finished his 2019 campaign with over 1,000 yards, making him the only running back in Giants history with back-to-back seasons with over 1K rushing yards. Now, these numbers might be inflated, and such production could also be attributed to being an absolute workhorse for the Giants, but I will get to that later.
Due to a mixture of the injury bug and being placed on COVID-19 reserve lists in 2020 and 2021, Barkley’s production would see a drop during those two seasons. However, he had already shown in his first seasons just what he could accomplish when healthy.
Not only do the numbers show Barkley’s superiority over Edwards-Helaire, but with the Chiefs receiving core in the middle of what seems like a rebuild, it would be beneficial knowing that Mahomes would have a reliable lead back to whom he could hand off the rock and know that he is going to most likely earn those yards. In addition to Barkley’s clear skills as a back, he has also proved himself as a viable option at receiver, having accrued 721 receiving yards during the 2018 season and 438 receiving yards in the 2019 season (and this number could have been higher had he played a full season).
With the Chiefs currently shuffling around their receiving core, Barkley could be counted on not only as a very solid back but as a receiving target as well.
The Cons of the Trade
Obviously, what people bring up most of the time when discussing Barkley is his rash of injuries in 3 out of 4 of his NFL seasons. This is a very valid point and probably the best argument against any trade for Barkley.
During the 2019 season, Barkley missed four weeks with a high ankle sprain. He would miss nearly the entire 2020 season with a torn ACL suffered during Week 3, and during the 2021 season, he would roll his ankle in Week 5 and return just in time to be placed on the COVID reserve list, making 2018 (his rookie season) the only year where he played a complete season of NFL football.
While Barkley does seem to have a close personal relationship with the injury bug, it should be noted, that just as his rushing yards could be attributed to the Giants’ excessive use of him, his bouts of injuries could be as well. Barkley is only 25 years of age, a mere 2 years older than Edwards-Helaire, and he has already suffered two ankle injuries and an ACL tear.
Due to his injuries and age, his body is definitely more torn up than Edwards-Helaire, who has suffered his own injuries but not to the extent of Barkley. Because of his injuries and how much the Giants played him, that begs the question, just how much tread is left on the tires?
While on paper Edwards-Helaire may not seem like the better back, he is a proven commodity and has two years of experience playing for Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and a notoriously complex Chiefs offense. That kind of experience and reliability should absolutely be taken into consideration. Also, as stated above, Edwards-Helaire is younger than Barkley by two years.
If the Chiefs were to trade Edwards-Helaire for Barkley, it would likely cost the Chiefs more than just a player for a player, since the Giants rely heavily on Barkley. Wharton believes the same and has the Chiefs surrendering another fourth-round pick along with CEH.
Conclusion
As I stated, the Chiefs are in no way discussing the possibility of trading Edwards-Helaire for Barkley, but perhaps they should at least look into it.
Barkley is the superior back and would provide the Chiefs with a well-rounded offensive weapon that would elevate the ground game while remaining reliable as a receiver. Both those traits would prove invaluable to Mahomes, who needs an explosive back who can help set up the play-action pass.
Barkley’s injuries are a valid cause for concern, but we could see a decrease in injuries for Barkley, depending on how much the Chiefs use him. While in New York, Barkley was an absolute workhorse, and some might even say the Giants over-used him since they didn’t have much of a receiving core or that great of a quarterback.
During the 2018 season, Barkley had 261 carries, and during the 2019 season, although he was injured for four weeks, he still finished the season with 217 carries. During the 2020 season (Edwards-Helaire’s rookie year), the Chiefs back had 181 carries and only 119 carries in 2021.
The Chiefs receiving core is being reshuffled right now, but make no mistake, Mahomes will still be slinging the ball all over the yard. That means whoever his star running back is, will not have quite the workload that Barkley had in New York. CEH has proven himself as a solid running back, but even at his best, he cannot match Barkley’s skill set.