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Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire caught the entire NFL community by surprise when he announced his release from the organization on December 16.
The following afternoon on December 17, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid brought up Edwards-Helaire’s departure while speaking with reporters, and he had a brief candid message for the recent KC cut.
“We sure appreciated Clyde too, for all he did here,” Reid noted on Tuesday of Week 16. “Love to get him back sometime too… what a great kid he is.”
To be clear, this reaction was not very typical of Reid. For starters, the Chiefs HC never usually gets too deep into roster moves or public farewells in front of the media.
Secondly, Reid addressed Edwards-Helaire’s release on his own. He first referenced it after a question on the status of potential injury returnee Hollywood Brown and veteran CB signing Steven Nelson.
“You know, we released Clyde,” Reid said. “So, we have a spot available, [and] we’ve got these injuries that we’re juggling here, so we just got to see how that goes before we move somebody up or down, or whatever [general manager Brett] Veach wants to do.”
That statement led him straight into the message above.
Could RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire Re-Sign With Chiefs Practice Squad?
Based on Reid’s comments, it wouldn’t be surprising if Edwards-Helaire ended up back with the Kansas City practice squad before the end of the season. Having said that, whether he does or does not return is most likely up to “CEH” himself.
It’s been an eye-opening year for Edwards-Helaire off the field. The former first-round playmaker first revealed his ongoing battle with PTSD on July 29, after missing a couple of training camp practices with a mysterious illness.
“Living With PTSD is no small feat, its hard and very overwhelming,” Edwards-Helaire shared on X at the time. “Within the last month Ive Had many flare ups and the Amazing staff here at the Chiefs have been helping me get through some tough times. I’ll be back rolling next Practice! All Love, Glydro.”
Edwards-Helaire eventually opened up more and more about his struggles with PTSD as the summer went on, but he didn’t provide the full story behind the traumatic event that his condition stems from until November.
At that point, Edwards-Helaire joined “The Pivot Podcast” to give a full account of what happened back in 2018 — and his story was quite jarring and emotional.
Despite eventually being activated from the injured reserve, Edwards-Helaire has not appeared in a regular season game in 2024. Quite frankly, it’s unclear if he’s even ready to suit up for a grueling sport like football, both from a physical and mental standpoint.
If he is, and if he’d like to continue his NFL career, perhaps there’s a better opportunity somewhere on an active roster. Or maybe he prefers to reunite with KC at a later date.
Right now, no one seems to know what the future holds for the talented running back except CEH himself. His next move should help provide some clarity on his current condition.
Andy Reid Says Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown Has ‘Felt Good’ at Practice
Following his message to Edwards-Helaire, Reid was asked about Brown and how he’s being managing at practice in recent days.
“He felt good,” the Chiefs HC replied, regarding his long-lost wide receiver signing. “Moved around well. Took quite a few reps. It wasn’t a leg injury, so he’s been working his legs — he’s one of those real good endurance guys anyway. But he’s been working his legs throughout [practices].”
Reid added that it’s just a matter of keeping an eye on his shoulder and how it feels.
“The doctors have really said it’s healed up nice and looks good,” he concluded on Brown. “So, we’ll just see. I’m going to do just like you are, I’m going to play it by year and see how we do here. If he can go, he’ll play. If he can’t, he won’t.”
Reid offered a similar evaluation of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ ankle ahead of Week 16. It goes without saying that Chiefs Kingdom will be anxious to see those two back on the field together sooner rather than later.
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Chiefs HC Andy Reid Leaves the Door Open for Recent KC Cut to Return