Who will be RB2 in Kansas City Chiefs offense in 2020?

By Leigh Oleszczak | Aug 1, 2020

Darwin Thompson #34 of the Kansas City Chiefs returns a fumble recovery against the Houston Texans (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

The Kansas City Chiefs had their RB1 opt out of the 2020 season and now have to promote their original RB2 to that role. Who will be the backup running back now?

Damien Williams made the bold decision to opt out of the 2020 season due to his mother having cancer and no one should question his choice not to play this year.

With Williams not suiting up for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, rookie first round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire will get the nod to start instead. While Edwards-Helaire might have eventually found his way into the starting role anyway, he likely would have started the season as the RB2 due to Williams’ experience and previous relationship with the team.

Edwards-Helaire won’t have to be the backup though, but who might end up in that role for the Kansas City Chiefs this year?

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This comes down to three main options: Darwin Thompson, DeAndre Washington, and Darrel Williams.

Thompson was the team’s sixth round pick out of Utah State last year and despite all of the hype in the world surrounding him, he didn’t live up to those lofty expectations as a rookie. He did have the key recovered fumble on special teams in the AFC Divisional Round against the Texans, but otherwise, he was pretty invisible.

Washington was signed this offseason after spending the last four years with the Raiders. He and Patrick Mahomes played together at Texas Tech in 2015, which isn’t necessarily something that could propel him into a bigger role, but it’s a fun fact.

Williams had his chance to make his mark on offense last year, but was injured midway through the season unfortunately. He was undrafted out of LSU in 2018 and had four total touchdowns this past season.

In all likelihood, Thompson gets the backup spot simply because he was the backup behind Damien Williams in the Super Bowl last year (over LeSean McCoy, who did not play in the biggest game of the season) and is listed as the third stringer on the team’s depth chart (Williams’ name has not been removed yet).

I could also see Washington finding his way into a backup role due to his previous experience with the Raiders and showing he’s a reliable option. He’d make more sense over Thompson, but the Chiefs won’t be so quick to give up on Thompson and will give him more opportunities to prove himself this year.

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What do you think Chiefs fans? Who will be the backup to Clyde Edwards-Helaire this year?

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