Getty Images C.J. Anderson during his tenure with the Denver Broncos
The Kansas City Chiefs could use a quick fix for their now damaged backfield. Long-term wise, the Chiefs will have time to figure out what they want to do. Short-term wise, they don’t have much wiggle room. After the team got rid of their top-five running back, Kareem Hunt due to his off-field incidents from the offseason, the Chiefs are in a difficult position right now moving forward.
The loss of Hunt won’t destroy the Chiefs offense, but it can definitely be detrimental to their deep-season run this year. Without one of their top playmakers, the Chiefs are putting even more pressure on the second-year quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
By looking at the scoreboard, you wouldn’t think that the Chiefs struggled on offense one bit. They wrapped Sunday’s game up with a 40-33 victory over the Oakland Raiders. It was clear though that the run game has taken a hit. Hunt’s replacement, Spencer Ware finished up the afternoon with 47 yards, and a touchdown off of 14 carries. But Mahomes led the team in rushing as he scrambled for 52 yards off of nine attempts.
Ware wasn’t horrendous, but he doesn’t seem to be convincing the Chiefs that he is the answer for the backfield moving forward either. After Ware and Damien Williams combined for 85 yards against Oakland, Kansas City is looking for outside help already early on Monday morning.
Are the Chiefs Going to Bring in an Outsider?
The #Chiefs are bringing in free agent RB CJ Anderson and old friend Charcandrick West for visits on Monday, sources say. Expect them to sign one of them. Obvious need with Kareem Hunt being waived unceremoniously.
It didn’t take long for the Chiefs to decide that they were going to bring in a couple of potential replacements for Hunt. Not even an hour after the game concluded, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Chiefs will be hosting former Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson, and a familiar face to the Chiefs already, Charcandrick West on Monday.
Clearly, what Ware and Williams brought to the table was not enough. And as the Chiefs continue to stay high up in the AFC ranks, they know that they need to do the best patch-up job in the backfield in order to stay relevant in the postseason run.
Who Will the Chiefs Sign?
Many would assume that C.J. Anderson would be the better signing since he has more experience in a starter’s role. After all, he did eclipse 1,000 yards with the Broncos just a season ago. Recently, Anderson was in the Carolina Panthers backfield, but his Carolina tenure would only last nine games before he hit the open market once again.
While Anderson could be the favorite, don’t rule out Charcandrick West just because of what the numbers say. West may not have the same amount of production, but he does have one thing that Anderson doesn’t; Experience within the Kanas City Chiefs’ organization.
Up until this season, West has been with the Chiefs since 2015. He never had a prominent role within the offense, but he did play his backup role well when called upon. With the emergence of Hunt, the Chiefs didn’t see a fit for West. But with Hunt off the team, the Chiefs need to figure something out quickly, and in this case, experience within the organization could trump previous production elsewhere.
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