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When you’re drafted in the first round as a running back, huge things are expected of you right out of the gate — especially in a high-octane offense like the one the Kansas City Chiefs operate.
For LSU star Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the fireworks just have not happened in KC so far. In college, “CEH” accumulated 1,867 scrimmage yards playing with Joe Burrow in 2019. His rookie campaign with Patrick Mahomes was decent — 1,100 scrimmage yards in 13 starts — but year two was practically a lost season with only 646 scrimmage yards in just 10 appearances.
The even scarier part was that Edwards-Helaire didn’t look like the same player from his LSU days. There has been a general lack of explosion during his first two NFL campaigns and although some of that has been due to injury, CEH must prove he’s still the offensive weapon that the Chiefs drafted him to be in 2022.
According to his trainer, he’s motivated to do so.
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Trainer Posts Hype Video: ‘Work Ethic Is Unmatched!’
On July 6, NFL trainer Coach Craig Brodie of “Skillz Evolution South” tagged Edwards-Helaire in a workout video and praised his dedication this offseason.
“KC Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire @Clydro_22 at Elite Training @EliteTrainingBR in Baton Rouge,” he voiced. “Work ethic is UNMATCHED! Perfection is the name of the game. And he’s trying to be the best to ever do it.”
The former first-round talent was seen performing various ball carrier drills that appeared to be aimed at traits like agility, elusiveness, explosiveness, burst and footwork. All areas where improvement would be welcomed.
CEH’s longest run was for 22 yards last year with a breakaway percentage lower than Derrick Gore and Jerick McKinnon according to Pro Football Focus. His yards after contact average also ranked lower than Gore but he did top the other Chiefs rushers in this category with a 2.47 average.
To be fair, Edwards-Helaire did lead the KC stable in PFF’s signature elusive rating — measures success and impact of a runner with the ball independently of the blocking. In this area, he scored a 40.4, but that only ranked 43rd in comparison with the rest of the NFL (minimum 20% of rushing snaps played).
That’s far from the “best to ever do it” but at age 23, there’s still plenty of time to change the narrative.
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CEH Isn’t Going Anywhere
With the newfound depth at running back, some fans have suggested that the front office trade Edwards-Helaire before the start of the 2022 season. That theory is highly unlikely for several reasons.
One, the current Chiefs decision-makers spent a first-round selection on this player. That means they probably believe in him more than most and they aren’t going to give up on him after two sub-par campaigns.
Two, Edwards-Helaire is very inexpensive with a cap number of $2.951 million in 2022. Trading him would burn more than half of the number it would cost to keep him at a $1.593 million dead cap hit.
Three, his value has depreciated and it’s never smart to deal a prospect when the return would be significantly lower than what you spent to add him in the first place. Plus, as mentioned above he’s still very young with a much higher ceiling than whatever you might get back.
Four, CEH is supposedly healthy for the first time in his brief NFL career. That revitalized vibe could translate into his best season yet. If not, then you can consider your options entering year four of his rookie contract in 2023.
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