‘CEH’ already starting to build chemistry with Chiefs teammates in offseason workouts
The Chiefs have reported to the team’s training facility for the first time this offseason. Camp begins this week.
For the rookies, including first-round 2020 NFL Draft pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, it was their first time walking into the facility ever.
But the pandemic-caused separation from the team’s physical building didn’t stop Edwards-Helaire from establishing a rapport with his teammates away from Kansas City.
A former star running back at LSU, Edwards-Helaire took the opportunity earlier this offseason to work out with some of his new teammates, including Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“Most importantly, the first thing we wanted to get down was just simply working on the little things of timing,” Edwards-Helaire said.
Mahomes said he’s stayed in touch with Edwards-Helaire throughout the offseason. Based on what he’s seen from their workouts together, he believes that Edwards-Helaire is a hard worker who carries himself the right way.
“You can tell by his demeanor,” Mahomes said. “You can tell by the way he’s out here and what he does off the field and on the field. I’m excited to have him involved in the offense now and get out there more and more with him and build some more chemistry.”
Edwards-Helaire said he feels like the setup in Kansas City is perfect for him and added that he already feels comfortable in the Chiefs’ offense.
The team has already gone through some online installs, so he was able to work on his routes within coach Andy Reid’s offense before coming to KC. He said he should have no problem learning Reid’s complicated playbook because he learned multiple offenses in college under different offensive coordinators.
Now, being at 1 Arrowhead Drive in person, Edwards-Helaire wants to be a team player and learn from the veterans in the Chiefs’ locker room.
Reid has been lauded as one of the NFL’s most creative play-callers, and the addition of Edwards-Helaire to the Chiefs’ backfield will allow him to use the rookie in a multitude of ways. Edwards-Helaire will certainly help the Chiefs’ run game, one that ranked 23rd in the NFL last season and averaged 4.2 yards per rush.
But Edwards-Helaire was also sought for his versatility as a receiver. The Chiefs targeted running back 111 times in 2019, good for 15th in the league, and Edwards-Helaire, a reliable pass-catcher, could help increase that number.
Last season at LSU, Edwards-Helaire caught a school-record 55 receptions as the Tigers went on to win the national championship.
He’ll also be a pass protector. Edwards-Helaire said he’s never looked down on blocking as a skill, knowing it’s vital to having success as a running back in the NFL.
“That’s literally half of my job and that’s been instilled in me since I was younger,” Edwards-Helaire said. “I’m going to do what I need to do as far as protecting Pat and that’s it. I’m protecting him like he’s like a brother, which he is.”
Reid said that he was excited to have the rookies in the building as they prepare to go through their first NFL training camp. But he’s also reiterated that, in order to win more championships, the whole team, rookies included, needs to be prepared to do the little things — like studying the playbook and preparing for meetings.
The rookie running back said he’s going to do whatever is asked of him. Edwards-Helaire has long known what it’s like to be part of a championship team — he led Catholic High School to a 5A championship in Louisiana as a senior and then won that national championship with LSU last season.
Now, with training camp beginning, he has the opportunity to show off how much he has already learned this offseason as he attempts to become an integral part of another championship team — this time, professionally.
“Ultimately, I’m just really happy to be here,” Edwards-Helaire said. “This is my happy place. ... I’ve only been on the Earth for 21 years and I’ve been playing football since I was 5. This is what I do.”
This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 5:00 AM.