Kansas City Chiefs: Running back position moving forward

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 23: running back Spencer Ware #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes the ball against the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium during the fourth quarter of the game on October 23, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 23: running back Spencer Ware #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs rushes the ball against the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium during the fourth quarter of the game on October 23, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images) /
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Running back Spencer Ware #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images)
Running back Spencer Ware #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images) /

The Kansas City Chiefs released running back Kareem Hunt after a video surfaced of his involvement in an incident last February. What might this mean for the running back position moving forward?

Any team that loses their starting running back during the season is bound to have some struggles. A team that loses one of the league’s top rushers while making a push for the playoffs feels the pressure even more. Thankfully, the Kansas City Chiefs established a decent enough of a backfield this past offseason to withstand the pressure.

Just a short time ago, I looked at the utilization of running backs on the roster. Then starter, Kareem Hunt, had racked up nearly 600 yards rushing while the other running backs had just over 100 yards rushing combined. Thankfully, the underutilization of those other backs may have helped to keep them hungry for reps for a time such as this.

Kansas City’s push for the playoffs and Super Bowl run may have taken a hit this past weekend, but that shouldn’t worry Chiefs Kingdom too much. In last Sunday’s 40-33 win in Oakland, running backs Spencer Ware and Damien Williams combined for 85 yards rushing. That’s not a bad number considering that the Chiefs offense looked out of sync.

Even so, Chiefs fans will wonder how the position might be addressed moving forward. So, let’s look at how they might do that.