Kansas City Chiefs: Knile Davis Expected To Be Ready For OTA’s

Dec 29, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Knile Davis (34) celebrates after a touchdown run during the first half against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs are expecting their back-up running back, Knile Davis, to make a full recovery from his fractured fibula and be ready for OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) which start next month.

Chiefs star running back, Jamaal Charles, has carried a huge load for his team the past two seasons, having been involved in over 300 touches in each. The Chiefs have needed to find someone who could give Charles some relief and Knile Davis filled in nicely down the stretch before suffering the fractured fibula in the Wild Card game against Indianapolis.

When asked about expanding Davis’ role in the Chiefs offense moving forward, Coach Andy Reid had this to say:

"“”Knile was a rookie and he was learning every week and getting better every week. As the season went on we were able to give him the ball a little bit more. Coming into this season we’ll be able to mix it up a little bit better than what we did early in the season last year.”"

Clearly the Chiefs have more trust in Knile now, than they did when the season began. Early on in 2013, many fans- myself included- were worried that Jammal Charles was too much of a focus on offense, and that the Chiefs were going to run him into the ground.

Partner that with drafting a running back who was known for injuries and fumbling issues in college, and you were left wondering what would happen to the Chiefs offense if Charles went down? Well, Davis answered a lot of questions- especially in the playoffs- that Chiefs fans had been wondering all season.

He showed flashes of a punishing running style that is combined with exceptional speed, making him one of the more dangerous athletes on the Chiefs roster, and, a perfect “thunder” to Jamaal Charles “lightning”.

Seeing Davis return healthy is big for the Chiefs, especially when rumors began to swirl that he might not be ready for the start of the 2014 season. The Chiefs have signed free agent running back, Joe McKnight, formerly of the New York Jets, to add depth and potentially replace McCluster in the return game.

McKnight will also likely replace current third-string running back, Cyrus Gray, on the roster- who’s major contributions have only come on special teams.

In an off season where the Chiefs need to find as many play makers as possible, having Knile Davis back and healthy only helps. It’s good to hear he’ll be ready, now go land some receiver help. I’m looking at you John Dorsey.

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