Kansas City Chiefs: Running back depth chart after 2019 NFL Draft

The 2019 NFL Draft has come and gone and, for the most part, UDFA’s have found homes for training camp this summer. What does the running back position look like for the Kansas City Chiefs now?

The Kansas City Chiefs look to make it four straight AFC West titles in 2019 and in order to do so, their offense will have to be just as electric as it was a season ago. While the Chiefs can sling the ball, they’ll also need to make sure their run game is on point.

Fortunately, the Chiefs have quite a bit of talent at the running back position. The Chiefs have five running backs listed on their roster, according to the Chiefs official website.

Here are those five backs:

Aaron Ripkowski, who predominantly played fullback while in Green Bay, is listed as a running back on the official roster while Anthony Sherman is listed as the lone fullback.

Out of that group, Damien Williams is the likely starter, barring something dramatic happening over the summer. Hyde was signed to a deal this offseason, so he’ll be seeing a decent amount of carries as well.

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With Darwin Thompson being drafted this year, he has a good shot at making the roster. He also possesses tremendous ability to catch and run with the ball, which we all know is Andy Reid‘s bread and butter when it comes to running backs. If they can catch the ball and get some extra yardage, they’ll do well in Reid’s system.

While Darrel Williams had a decent rookie season last year, he could end up being the odd man out. That all depends on how many running backs the Chiefs opt to roll with come the end of the preseason.

As for Ripkowski, he probably won’t see the field much. He’s a natural fullback and the Chiefs already have one of those in Sherman.

Because of their hefty depth chart, the Chiefs only brought in two UDFA running backs: Marcus Marshall of James Madison and James Williams of Washington State.

While Marshall spent last season at James Madison, he spent the first two years of his eligibility at Georgia Tech. His best year came as a freshman in 2015 when he carried the ball 85 times for 649 yards and four touchdowns.

James Williams (because the team doesn’t have enough Williams at the running back spot) had 122 rushing attempts last year and totaled 560 yards with a whopping 12 touchdowns. Obviously the touchdown total jumps out, but it’ll be tough for Williams or Marshall to make this team due to the depth the Chiefs already have.

While Damien Williams appears to be the frontrunner for the starting job in 2019, Carlos Hyde is another near lock to make the roster. My guess is that Thompson and Darrel Williams get the third and fourth spots.

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It’s never a bad thing to have plenty of talent at running back due to the frequency of injuries at the position. The Kansas City Chiefs look to be making sure the position is well-stocked so that they’re taken care of should a nasty injury occur.

What do you think of the Chiefs running back situation after the draft?

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