Since Dexter McCluster is one of the smallest players in the NFL, the ongoing issue the Chiefs have is not just how to utilize him on offense, but also how much to play him.</p><p>He was a running back last year after spending most of his rookie season as a slot receiver. The results &#x97; he finished as their second-leading rusher and third-leading receiver in 2011 &#x97; would seem to indicate McCluster is better operating out of the backfield.</p><p>&#x93;The change to running back, I accepted it,&#x94; he said. &#x93;I was happy to be a part of the running back group. I showed strides toward the player I&#x92;m going to be in the league.&#x94;</p><p>Looking at next season, what to do with McCluster and how much to do is again an issue for the Chiefs. With Jamaal Charles coming back from torn knee ligaments and Thomas Jones and Jackie Battle unsigned, the Chiefs will need some help out of the backfield.</p><p>Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, scouts and coaches spent the week at the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., scouting some of the top backs available in the draft. Soon the Chiefs will have to decide whether they want to spend a premium draft pick on a running back.</p><p>Their backfield options will include Charles and McCluster, at least.</p><p>&#x93;Having Jamaal back will be great,&#x94; McCluster said. &#x93;He brings the speed and the versatility you need in a running back. We&#x92;ll keep a lot of teams off-balance.&#x94;</p><p>In many respects, their decision on whether to draft a running back could be a referendum on McCluster and how much the Chiefs believe they can reasonably squeeze from his 5-feet-8, 170-pound body.</p><p>&#x93;You have to be cognizant of his size and the limitations that size presents,&#x94; coach Romeo Crennel said. &#x93;But he also brings play-making ability. If you manage him well, you can get a lot of good plays out of him and not expose him too much to the rigors of that position.&#x94;</p><p>It&#x92;s a balancing act that hasn&#x92;t been simple for the Chiefs. After the Chiefs lost Charles for the season in the second game, McCluster by far supplied more runs of 10 or more yards than either Jones or Battle.</p><p>But they were always concerned about sending McCluster against defensive players who outweigh him by as much as 150 pounds. McCluster had 114 rushing attempts, far fewer than either Jones (153) or Battle (149).</p><p>&#x93;In retrospect, I would have liked to have found ways to get him the ball more often,&#x94; last year&#x92;s offensive coordinator Bill Muir said shortly before the end of the season. &#x93;If we didn&#x92;t get more out of him, then put it on me as the play-caller. I didn&#x92;t call his number or give him enough opportunities. You go into the season thinking you don&#x92;t want to wear him out. There&#x92;s a delicate balance. Sometimes you get involved in the flow of the game and there were some things you wanted to do, and for whatever reason things get away from you a little bit.</p><p>&#x93;But I do think I could have utilized him more. He is, given the players we lost, one of the players that when he gets his hands on the ball, he&#x92;s capable of big plays. If you don&#x92;t give him a lot of carries or a lot of touches in every game, then he doesn&#x92;t make them. At some point in time you&#x92;re trying to win a game and you throw reason out.&#x94;</p><p>McCluster said at season&#x92;s end he could have handled more work.</p><p>&#x93;I definitely wasn&#x92;t maxed out,&#x94; he said. &#x93;I&#x92;ve always been small but it hasn&#x92;t stopped me before, and it won&#x92;t stop me now. There&#x92;s no limit to how much I can take. I&#x92;m going to go out there and give it everything I have. I&#x92;ll make sure I take it to a defender before he takes it to me. I think I&#x92;ve showed I can take a beating and give it out, too.&#x94;