The difference from one year to the next is startling.
The Kansas City Chiefs posted a minor transaction on Wednesday with the placement of running back ShunDerrick Powell on waivers. It's the sort of throwaway move that's easily overlooked, and Powell's entire stint with the team—lasting only a matter of months from a late December signing to an early spring release—is going to be a trivia question for diehard fans down the road.
But here's what's telling. Recent years would have allowed the likes of Powell to hang around until August, at the very least. Remember names like Carson Steele or Keaontay Ingram. Perhaps fans might also recall Deneric Prince or Emani Bailey. Does La'Mical Perine or Jerrion Ealy ring a bell?
The last few seasons for the Chiefs have featured a running back corps that wouldn't have bothered Chuckie Finster. A post-injury Isiah Pacheco. A humbled Kareem Hunt. A smattering of undrafted free agents, late-round signings, and free-agent flyers have become the Chiefs' way of doing business in the backfield. It's also a major reason why the offense has stumbled over the last few years.
There's more to read into the recent release of ShunDerrick Powell than a fan might expect.
This year's wholesale changes have already earned plenty of attention. Coaching staff changes. A new-ish offensive coordinator. Big-money signings in free agency and highly-productive draft picks. The Chiefs signed up for an episode of Extreme Backfield Makeover, and the ShunDerrick Powell release is essentially Brett Veach's way of yelling, "Move that bus!"
Consider just how different it feels, first of all, to have the position anchored by Kenneth Walker III. The Chiefs now have one of the league's most dynamic running backs in house, a very real and dynamic threat who must be accounted for by opposing defenses. Patrick Mahomes hasn't truly had that sort of offensive distraction next to him since Kareem Hunt's less-truthful days in K.C. The reigning Super Bowl MVP is being paid like a central offensive cog, and it comes at a perfect time for an evolving offense.
The draft choice invested in Emmett Johhnson was only a fifth-round choice, but the body of work put up by the Cornhusker last season showed a well-rounded skill set that remains effective even when called upon for a heavy workload. Since Walker works best in tandem with another player to keep the Load-o-Meter from registering "Bell Cow," Johnson is a strategic play for more than just the talent of the player. It's about keeping the whole unit at peak effectiveness.
Emari Demercado was the "other" free-agent runing back signed this spring, but he was also available in the Explosive Goods aisle after showing out for the Arizona Cardinals as a rotational back. His presence adds another playmaking layer and brings real competition to the lower levels of the depth chart. It's here where he'll compete with holdover back Brashard Smith for a top-to-bottom overhaul that reflects more volcanic possibilities for an ground game that more resembled a cooling lava flow in 2025.
The bottom line is that the likes of ShunDerrick Powell would have stuck around a bit longer in years past. The Chiefs have held onto such fringe players through training camp in recent years. Sure, undrafted prospects are still there on the roster, but Veach always seemed to rely on one of them breaking out along with veteran role players who might be on their last professional legs (e.g. Elijah Mitchell). That is no longer the case in Kansas City.
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