Kansas City Chiefs: Le’Veon Bell isn’t the answer at running back
By Kole Berrey
Money isn’t the only thing stopping the Chiefs from signing someone like Le’Veon Bell.
One needs to look no further than the man who replaced Bell in Pittsburgh to understand why the Chiefs shouldn’t bring in a running back like at a steep price. James Conner, Bell’s former backup, has 909 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns to go with his 52 catches for 467 yards and a receiving touchdown.
Conner has been a revelation for the Steelers. He is providing similar production on the field to what Bell had, without any of the hold out and suspension drama that has come with Bell off of the field in years past. There is something else about Conner other than pure talent that makes him a more attractive option than Bell, and that is the fact that he was drafted in the third round.
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Do you know who else was drafted in the same round in the same draft as Conner? Alvin Kamara and Kareem Hunt. Running backs who went even later than those two in the same draft were Tarik Cohen and Aaron Jones.
This year, Phillip Lindsay of the Denver Broncos has rushed for over 6.1 yards per carry, which is third best of all time behind only Barry Sanders and Chiefs legend Jamaal Charles (minimum 150 carries). Lindsay also leads the AFC in rushing yards at 937. This is all important because he went undrafted this year.
The point is that running backs can be found in the mid to late rounds of drafts. Paying big money for a free agent running back wouldn’t be wise for the Chiefs, as they could use that money to bring in defensive free agents to help shore up the Chiefs porous defense, which has been hemorrhaging yards at an alarming rate.
Chiefs fans should also trust the team to be able to find a suitable replacement at the running back position. The Chiefs string of running backs include greats like Christian Okoye, Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, and Jamaal Charles. The team was always historically lacking a franchise quarterback, but you could bank on their rushing attack being poten with an elite player at the running back position.