Here’s why the Kansas City Chiefs brought back running back Jerick McKinnon
The Chiefs bolstered the running back position earlier in the week by bringing back a familiar face in Jerick McKinnon on a one-year deal.
McKinnon, who was on the Chiefs’ roster last year, now joins a tailback group of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Ronald Jones, 2022 seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco, Derrick Gore, rookie Jerrion Ealy and rookie Taylor Fleet-Davis.
A crowded backfield, for sure.
But for a group that averaged 23.5 years of age before McKinnon’s return, there’s a good reason the Chiefs made the move.
“You can’t have enough running backs,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said last week. “I think we know that and in particular, experienced ones.
“So we felt like he still had juice left, which is important when you’re dealing with veteran players, especially at that position.”
The 30-year-old McKinnon, who entered the league in 2014 as a third-round pick with the Minnesota Vikings, brings that and more. He showcased his versatility during the Chiefs’ 2021 playoff run, producing 315 total yards (150 rushing) and a touchdown in three postseason games as part of a backfield committee consisting of Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams.
And the 5-foot-9, 205-pound McKinnon has other attributes, which Reid appreciates.
“He’s very intelligent,” Reid said. “He’s great in the pass game part of it, (blitz) pick-ups and so on, and he’s a good runner. And he’s a very good leader; he brings that with him, too.”
While McKinnon provides a versatile skill and a veteran presence among a young group, it remains to be seen how the Chiefs plan to incorporate him with this year’s backfield.
The Chiefs spent time during the offseason by adding pieces around Edwards-Helaire, with the notable additions of Jones during free agency and the selection of Pacheco during the draft. Williams, the Chiefs’ leading rusher in 2021, was not brought back.
Regardless of what the Chiefs decide to do, Jones said Wednesday that he believes the Chiefs will have a dangerous “one-two-three punch” at the running back position with himself, Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon.
Reid appeared to agree.
“It’s good to have him back in the mix,” Reid said of McKinnon.
This story was originally published June 16, 2022 at 1:50 PM.
