Kansas City Chiefs still in great situation at running back for 2020 season

Damien Williams made the decision to opt out of the 2020 season, but there is no need for Kansas City Chiefs fans to worry about the running back position this season.

It goes without saying, but Kansas City Chiefs fans should be respectful of Damien Williams‘ decision, as it assuredly was not an easy one for him. There is more to life than football, and Williams clearly wasn’t comfortable risking his and his family’s health to play this season, and that should be more than okay with Chiefs Kingdom after what he’s given to this organization and the fans.

It also must be noted that Williams is a tough loss for the Chiefs. He is a good player whose skills at the position fit in perfectly with the Chiefs’ offense.

Big Game Dame will be missed at some point this season for sure, more than likely especially early, but that doesn’t mean that the Chiefs aren’t still at an excellent position with the current running back group.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s look at the current state of the Kansas City Chiefs running back group.

If you can remember all the way back to April, the Chiefs drafted running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire with their first-round pick. So even with Williams, it was likely that Edwards-Helaire was going to be a big part of the offense.

In no disrespect to Williams, Edwards-Helaire is the far superior talent and now the Chiefs will just have to rely more heavily on him. That probably wasn’t their ideal plan at least for early on in the season, but it is now the reality of the situation.

Luckily, unlike a lot of other positions, running back is a position that oftentimes young players are still able to thrive in their rookie seasons. If he can get his pass protection down pat, he will be an excellent workhorse for the Chiefs this year.

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Think back to Kareem Hunt‘s rookie season and that is the kind of impact that Edwards-Helaire can bring to the Chiefs this season. Maybe subtract a few rush yards and add some pass yards, but Edwards-Helaire could very likely see a very similar season this year.

The Chiefs will still have an excellent, albeit young running back group this season. Behind Edwards-Helaire, DeAndre Washington will bring the most veteran leadership of the group. He only has five career starts, but was a consistent change of pace back with the Raiders and he should be expected to bring that same experience to Kansas City this year.

Third-year running back Darrel Williams will also be returning from injury this season and displayed the ability to come in and make an impact on offense last season. Second-year player Darwin Thompson could mix in some touches here and there as well.

Elijah McGuire will also compete for a roster spot and the Chiefs will still likely have the trusty Anthony Sherman who could man some goal-line carries out of the fullback position if needed.

With excitement at the top and quality depth, Chiefs Kingdom has nothing to worry about at the running back position. Clyde Edwards-Helaire should be a fantastic option as the top running back and you will likely see him at the top of the rookie of the year race as the season nears its end.

A big thank you goes out to Damien Williams for all that he did for Chiefs Kingdom last year on the Super Bowl run. Stay safe and healthy and we look forward to seeing you next season!