Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
Chiefs Kingdom has been wondering what the Kansas City Chiefs will do with running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who has one year remaining on his rookie contract. The rise of Isiah Pacheco in Kansas City’s backfield last season has made Edwards-Helaire, who missed the second half of last season due to injury, an expendable piece of the Chiefs’ roster.
According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, trading CEH is a potential option for the defending Super Bowl champions, and “some” NFL teams are aware of that.
“Some teams have running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire on their radar as a potential trade option, though I don’t believe Kansas City is actively shopping him,” Fowler wrote on March 5. “It could be more of a ‘we will listen’ situation.”
A High-Ankle Sprain Limited CEH’s 2022 Campaign
After a monster effort in which he scored 3 total touchdowns (2 receiving, 1 rushing) in the Chiefs’ 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4, Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s production dipped over the next couple of games to the point that he was supplanted by Isiah Pacheco as Kansas City’s RB1 in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers. After moving down the depth chart, Edwards-Helaire registered 10 total touches and 28 total yards from Week 7 to Week 10, per Pro Football Reference.
Edwards-Helaire suffered a high-ankle sprain during Kansas City’s 30-27 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers in Week 11 and was placed on injured reserve on November 23.
The Chiefs opened CEH’s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve on January 17, which was during the week leading up to the AFC Championship game. Yet, CEH remained sidelined for the AFC Title Game.
Kansas City activated Edwards-Helaire from injured reserve on February 6 — a day before the deadline to activate him. That put him in line to continue to practice and become a part of the Super Bowl game plan in some capacity. However, he was never activated in time for the Chiefs’ 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
Over the last two seasons, Edwards-Helaire — a first-round pick of the Chiefs in 2022 — has missed a total of 16 games (regular season and playoffs combined), which highlights durability issues for the third-year back.
Twitter Reacts to Clyde Edwards-Helaire Trade Rumors
Twitter users reacted to Jeremy Fowler’s report on teams eyeing Clyde Edwards-Helaire as a potential trade option.
“[Chiefs general manager Brett] Veach has been such a good GM for the Chiefs but this and the Breeland Speaks selection are his worst decisions so far,” one Twitter user wrote. “Didn’t hurt them much and he made up for it with Pacheco in the 7th. Note: this pick was also heavily influenced by Mahomes who like CEH college tape.”
@NFL_DovKleiman @JFowlerESPN Veach has been such a good GM for the Chiefs but this and the Breeland Speaks selection are his worst decisions so far. Didn’t hurt them much and he made up for it with Pacheco in the 7th.
Note: this pick was also heavily influenced by Mahomes who like CEH college tape
“He… can’t be worth much in a trade,” another user wrote. “If the Chiefs are offered even a 5th they should say yes immediately.”
“Trade him hes fumble prone in big moments, and he gets like 3 yards a carry, we only use him at the endzone for underhand throws,” another user wrote.
@jasrifootball @JFowlerESPN Trade him hes fumble prone in big moments, and he gets like 3 yards a carry, we only use him at the endzone for underhand throws #useless
“As fun as it is to talk sh*t on CEH, realistically, he wouldn’t be a bad RB3,” another user wrote. “I’d rather trade him and get something out of it for sure, but the hate has gone a little too far lol.”