Chiefs rumors: KC has interest in RB Jahmyr Gibbs

Albert Breer has some bad news for those members of Chiefs Kingdom who would hate to see another early-round running back for the Chiefs.

Coming into NFL Draft week, the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t burdened by any glaring roster holes. For the most part, even the weaker parts of the active roster are serviceable and some are even quite deep, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t positions at which a significant youth investment wouldn’t work wonders for the long haul.

For the most part, the Chiefs are typically linked with a wide receiver, defensive end, or offensive tackle with their earliest picks in mock drafts. After that, other positions get thrown into the mix like defensive tackle, cornerback, and tight end. But one position left off of most lists—at least in the earliest rounds—is at running back. That’s also where we might see a big surprise.

According to NFL reporter Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, two players have been linked to the Chiefs in recent days: Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers and Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs. While the former makes plenty of sense as an offensive addition, the latter would be a total curveball.

Here’s what Breer had to say:

"“Now, Andy Reid’s taken one running back in the first round in 24 drafts as a head coach and that one (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) hasn’t really worked out. Still, listening to other talk about Gibbs’s fit with Mahomes and Reid can be convincing. “I wouldn’t want to be in the AFC West,” said one NFC exec, “if Gibbs winds up in Kansas City.”"

The jaw-dropping notion of taking a running back early in the 2023 NFL Draft has almost nothing to do with Gibbs himself. Rather, it’s about positional value and the need for significant talent at cost-controlled financials at key positions—especially in the trenches. What makes things even more of a shock here is that the Chiefs already went for this sort of luxury pick—and failed.

Three years ago, the Chiefs selected Clyde Edwards-Helaire with their first-round choice at No. 32 overall in a bit of a move intended to bring back the dynamism found out of the backfield when Kareem Hunt was on the roster. Edwards-Helaire was intended to be another vital offensive cog alongside Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Unfortunately, CEH has been limited by injuries and then sidelined by other players who climbed over him on the depth chart. He was a healthy scratch in the postseason only months ago.

These days, Edwards-Helaire is likely on the Chiefs’ trade block heading into draft weekend and now Breer says the Chiefs are really considering taking a mulligan on a first-round halfback and trying again. It’s hard to stomach (and tough to believe). It all sounds even sillier when you look at how productive Isiah Pacheco was a year ago after coming in as a seventh-round selection.