Dameon Pierce signed on the dotted line to join the Kansas City Chiefs over one month ago. He's still waiting for his first snap with the offense.
On Thursday, the Chiefs made the decision to keep Pierce on the sidelines in their Christmas Day game against the Denver Broncos. Pierce was inactive for yet another game in K.C., bringing a seeming disconnect between the front office and coaching staff back into view in what has been a very confounding and disappointing season in Kansas City.
Pierce first signed with the Chiefs on November 23, the day of the team's Week 12 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Since then, the Chiefs have lost four consecutive games (against the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, and Tennessee Titans), but Pierce is still somehow waiting for his chance to take the field.
The questions surrounding Pierce's usage would already be a bit concerning yet understandable if the Chiefs were in the thick of the postseason hunt. If somehow Andy Reid's offense was firing on all cylinders, it might make sense to keep Pierce inactive in order to maintain consistency. Stick with what works, as they say.
But even that argument falls apart under any scrutiny. That's because the Kansas City has arguably the least dynamic ground game in the entire National Football League. Isiah Pacheco is a lead back averaging 3.9 yards/carry in another injury-affected season. Kareem Hunt is an aging short-yardage back at this point. Brashard Smith is an untested seventh-round choice who isn't being given a chance either.
Dameon Pierce is not at fault for his lack of playing time. He's just the latest roster usage concern in a long line of them for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs were searching for running back help before the season began and once again before the league's trade deadline. When nothing materialized to the front office's liking, they landed Pierce following his release from the Texans. Only now they're not playing him.
What makes the lack of playing time for Pierce even more frustrating is the fact that K.C. is out of the playoff hunt. There's nothing to play for now but pride, and the Chiefs are expected to remake the entire backfield. Pacheco and Hunt are free agents. Smith is the only holdover, and there's no guarantee he'll even make the team next season—depending on the level of imported competition.
All that to say, Pierce is in prime position to show the Chiefs what he can do. He's had a full month to learn the system and meet his teammates. He plays a position at which the Chiefs need obvious help, and K.C. liked him enough to sign him (only to not play him). If this sounds familiar, it's because the Chiefs kept Elijah Mitchell captive in the same way all season long before releasing him earlier this month.
From keeping Kristian Fulton inactive to failing to use Joshua Uche at the trade deadline a year ago, the Chiefs have made a bad habit of acquiring players only to leave them on the bench. There's a very real disconnect between the front office's vision for roster help and the coaching staff's willingness to play them. Pierce is not at fault here. He's just the latest head-scratching example in a long line of usage concerns.