Getty Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Carson Steele is beginning to climb the depth chart at training camp.
The Kansas City Chiefs running back position has been a roller coaster ride this spring and summer.
Obviously, Isiah Pacheco is the unquestioned starter, but the depth chart behind him has been difficult to predict. Veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the expected RB2 when players first arrived for Organized Team Activities this spring. However, first-team reps have hinted that second-year ball carrier Deneric Prince has surpassed him.
Rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit also entered camp with a ton of hype, and yet it’s been clear that the international phenom still has a long way to go while transitioning over to the NFL. Did we mention that the Chiefs spent a little extra to land a priority UDFA in Emani Bailey and that wide receiver Kadarius Toney has been trying his hand at running back?
How about one more unexpected twist in the RB room? “Carson Steele’s stock appears to be rising,” Arrowhead Pride beat writer Pete Sweeney reported on August 1.
The undrafted rookie has been rumored as a potential fullback candidate that can catch, block and gain tough yardage for head coach Andy Reid when needed. He signed with Kansas City as a running back though — accumulating 3,780 scrimmage yards and 30 touchdowns over three seasons at Ball State and UCLA combined.
The major difference about Steele’s game compared to the rest of the Chiefs running back unit — outside of Pacheco — is his physicality.
“Chiefs RB Carson Steele with some tough running after the catch,” A-to-Z Sports Kansas City reporter Charles Goldman noted on August 1. “Shoulder tackles aren’t going to get it done with him.”
In recent practices, Steele has earned both first- and second-team reps just behind Pacheco and Prince. At the very least, he appears to have overtaken his fellow UDFA Bailey, as well as Rees-Zammit, with Edwards-Helaire and Keaontay Ingram in sight.
Chiefs RBs Deneric Prince, Carson Steele & Keaontay Ingram Have All Risen to the Occasion at Training Camp
The expression, “competition breeds excellence,” typically applies when an organization has won back-to-back Super Bowls. And it certainly applies inside the Chiefs RB room this summer.
Prince, Steele and Ingram have all been singled out by different media members as training camp standouts behind Pacheco so far, and we’ve only just ventured into August. On the July 29 episode of the “41 is the Mic” podcast with Matt Derrick (Chiefs Digest) and Nick Jacobs (KSHB41), the two beat reporters each immediately highlighted a running back when discussing players that have “impressed” them once the pads have come on.
Jacobs chose Prince. Derrick chose Ingram.
“With each passing day that [Prince] kind of locks in what he’s doing — how smoothly he’s catching it out of the backfield, how explosive he’s starting to get from the backfield and in the flats with the run that he’s getting, and where his pass protection is at versus last year… it’s very, very encouraging,” Jacobs said.
Derrick countered by shouting out Ingram, who he acknowledged is somewhere just below Prince on the current depth chart.
“Impressed me in pass protection on Sunday — had some really good reps,” Derrick reasoned. “He’s been good catching the football out of the backfield.”
Now, with Steele joining this duo of camp risers, challenging cuts loom at running back.
Do Chiefs Have Room on 53-Man Roster for Louis Rees-Zammit?
As other halfbacks continue to step up, more and more pressure will mount for Rees-Zammit.
Jacobs wasn’t very confident about the dual-sport athlete making the roster during the aforementioned podcast, while Derrick gave him a slight window as a kick returner and RB4.
With different returners — like Nikko Remigio and Montrell Washington among others — excelling inside the wide receiver room, however, it’s fair to wonder if there’s room for a special teams-only project like Rees-Zammit.
It’s still early and preseason could sort out this logjam at WR/RB, but there are two names to watch when talking about the roster chances of Steele and Rees-Zammit. One is Toney, who could be in direct competition with the former rugby star as a sort of hybrid talent according to Jacobs.
The other is tight end Irv Smith Jr., another training camp riser that can also slot in at fullback.
If Toney and Smith end up making the roster along with another return specialist like Remigio, that’s bad news for Steele and Rees-Zammit. Unless, of course, the Chiefs surprise everyone by cutting or trading a staff favorite like Edwards-Helaire or Noah Gray.
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