The Kansas City Chiefs have had no shortage of great running backs in the past, with the four best listed below, but even Christian Okoye, AKA 'The Nigerian Nightmare', and Hall of Famer Marcus Allen, who just missed the list.
Obviously, an RB is dependent on factors such as a good run scheme behind a solid offensive line and a good quarterback to find success. Nonetheless, there is no debating how special these four players were and what they mean in Chiefs lore.
In KC Kingdom's third edition of our "Chiefs All-Time Mount Rushmore", we take a closer look at some of the best offensive weapons to ever wear a Kansas City jersey.
Kansas City's history at RB is rich, with high-level talent across the board
Abner Haynes
Yet another Mount Rushmore Chief from the early 1960s era. Abner Haynes was a back who was ahead of his time at the position. He played under head coach Hank Stram and alongside quarterback Len Dawson on the Dallas Texans from 1960-62 and then the rebranded Chiefs for two more years. In those five seasons, Haynes helped the franchise win numerous regular-season games, but more importantly, scored two touchdowns in the then-Texans' 1962 AFL Championship victory.
The most impressive part about the 6'0" 190lbs back was that he was the first legitimate duel-threat RB the game had seen, accounting for 2,738 total receiving yards in five years on a whopping 13.8 yards per catch. Altogether, Haynes totaled between 1,200 and 1,600 total scrimmage yards in four of his five seasons in KC to go along with 56 total TDs. He was a three-time Pro-Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. Abner Haynes was the first of many great Chiefs running backs and firmly deserves a spot on this list.
Priest Holmes
Holmes being on this list goes without question. After four years in Baltimore, he made his way to Kansas City and flourished in the early 2000s behind an exceptional offensive line and a quality starting QB in Trent Green. Holmes has perhaps the strongest argument of any running back for the highest multi-year statistical peak ever. In 2001, he ran for 1,555 yards and eight scores along with 62-614-2 through the air. A year later, Holmes was even better, putting up 1,615 yards on the ground and a whopping 21 TDs, adding 70-672-3 in the receiving game.
Then in 2003, he went for 1,420 on the ground with a ridiculous 27 TDs (an NFL record at the time), and another 690 yards on 74 catches. It marked a three-year stretch where he accumulated over 2,100 total scrimmage yards each year and 61 total TDs. Had it not been for back-to-back injury- riddled seasons in 2004 and '05, Holmes could have very well made it five straight years of unbelievably elite production.
Holmes made first-team All-Pro three consecituve seasons, came top-five in MVP voting twice and won Offensive Player of the Year in 2002. He was a massive part of keeping the Chiefs respectable through the early 2000's period and a first place AFC West finish in '03.
Larry Johnson
Believe it or not, but Larry Johnson was the backup to Priest Holmes for a couple of seasons before taking on the brunt of the workload when the starter got injured. The Chiefs actually drafted Johnson in the first round prior to the 2003 season, creating an exceptionally good pairing at a position so coveted at the time. Johnson's first real year of consistent work came in 2005, when Holmes got hurt seven weeks into the season. He finished the year with 1,750 yards on the ground, 343 through the air, and 21 total TDs. He himself crossed the 2,000-yard barrier.
Then in 2006, Johnson did it again. He ran for 1,789 yards with 410 receiving and 19 scores. Clearly, the talent of Johnson had been overlooked by Kansas City early on in his career, but when he flashed, they made sure to give him the ball over and over with 752 combined carries during that two-year span.
Johnson made back-to-back Pro-Bowl teams and first-team All-Pro in 2006. His career petered out after that, but there is no denying that Larry Johnson's peak was more than good enough to become a Mount Rushmore figure among Chiefs RBs.
Jamaal Charles
What Jamaal Charles was able to consistently produce on the field despite being on abysmal Chiefs teams behind putrid o-lines and forgetful QB play was nothing short of extraordinary. Charles was an athletic tier above the best of the best in the NFL. His speed, lateral quickness, and acceleration were all next-level. Charles played for the Chiefs from 2008-2016, where he had five seasons between 1,300-1,900 scrimmage yards on a consistently great five-plus yards per carry with virtually no running lanes the majority of the time.
Charles had breakaway speed and would have scored a bunch more touchdowns if the offenses he played on were at all mindful of how to play football. But his peak scoring year came in 2013 when he had 19 total trips to the end zone. In his time in KC, Charles made four Pro-Bowls, two first-team All-Pros, and was top three in the voting for Comeback Player of the Year in 2012 and Offensive Player of the Year in 2013.
Had it not been for numerous injuries over the years to Charles, he would have put up even more statistics. It's a shame the teams he played were so poor, as you could only imagine what he and Patrick Mahomes would look like playing together. Charles is a franchise legend and deserves a spot not only on this list, but in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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