Getty Damien Williams celebrates touchdown against the New England Patriots.
The Kansas City Chiefs are set at almost every offensive position. Their running back situation is far from perfect, but head coach Andy Reid is a wizard when dealing with his backfield. Damien Williams entered camp ready to take over the starting spot. He went down on the second day with a hamstring injury and has not been back on the field.
“Obviously he’s the starter,” Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said when asked about Williams. “He’s doing what he needs to do in the training room and that will take care of itself.”
Williams received a vote of confidence from his coach, but newly acquired Carlos Hyde has been impressive so far in training camp. Right now, he is slated to backup Williams with rookie Darwin Thompson third on the depth chart. He will be used as a receiver out of the backfield in third down situations.
Early in camp, there is not much concern about Williams’ injury. Hamstring injuries can linger, but Williams should be ready to go when the season begins. Reid mentioned that Williams missing time in practice is a bigger deal than people think.
“He’s missed quite a bit,” Reid said. “He’s missed a lot of plays. It’s been great for these other guys.”
The absence of Williams has allowed players like Hyde to step up and show that they can contribute in the Chiefs’ high-powered offense. So right now Williams is the starter, but for how long?
Williams Finally Gets a Chance
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Williams is a five year veteran out of Oklahoma. The term veteran is used loosely when talking about Williams. He has just 183 career carries in the regular season. Williams spent the first four seasons of his career in Miami with the Dolphins before landing in Kansas City.
He played all 16 games last season, but did not become the starter until later in the season. He broke out in the playoffs against the Indianapolis Colts with a 129 yard, one touchdown performance. This gave the Chiefs hope that he can be the next great running back in Kansas City.
The Chiefs offense has bee clicking so far in camp. Reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes is spreading the ball around nicely to his All-Pro weapons. Tyreek Hill has missed time with a quad contusion, but he has shown speed when he is on the field. Travis Kelce is at full strength after getting ankle surgery in the offseason. This has the chance to be a magical season in Kansas City if this team can stay healthy.
Williams, Hyde, and Thompson will all get a chance during the season to show what they can do. This will not be a one man backfield, even though Williams is listed as the starter. He will get the most touches out of the three. In Reid’s system, there is a reason to be optimistic about the 27-year old running back.
The Chiefs know that a strong run game will make things easier for Mahomes. It will be interesting to see week one how Reid decides to use his three running backs.