One particular player on the Kansas City Chiefs would benefit from a change of scenery over the offseason, according to ESPN. Although they selected him in the first round of the NFL Draft just four years ago, RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was listed as a player who could use a fresh start.
Why Edwards-Helaire? Here's ESPN's rationale:
"Edwards-Helaire hasn't lived up to the hopes the Chiefs had when they drafted him in the first round in 2020. He led the Chiefs in rushing as a rookie with 803 yards, but he has never been their top rusher since. His rushing stats have declined in each of his four seasons, and in 2022, he lost his job as the featured back to Isiah Pacheco."
How would CEH fare if given a change of scenery?
ESPN isn't really going out on a limb here given the fact that Edwards-Helaire is headed for unrestricted free agency, and considering his declining production over the past four seasons, it certainly seems unlikely that the Chiefs would be interested in bringing him back.
Edwards-Helaire ran for 803 yards a a rookie in 2020, but that number has dropped each season since. He had 517 rushing yards in 2021, 302 rushing yards in 2022, and just 223 last season.
Perhaps most telling is the fact that Edwards-Helaire played just 22 percent of all available offensive snaps for the Chiefs last season. That number represented a career-low, as he was on the field for 32 percent of offensive snaps the previous season and over 50 percent in each of his first two seasons.
Isiah Pacheco took over the role of starting running back for Kansas City last season, and he's the best bet to remain in that role moving forward. At just 24 years old, Edwards-Helaire will almost assuredly get an opportunity elsewhere in free agency, but his days in Kansas City appear to be numbered.