Why Chiefs’ Clyde Edwards-Helaire prepared himself differently ahead of 2023 season
Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire says he typically likes to get offseason feedback from coaches before deciding how to prepare for the next season. One year, for instance, he was told to focus on his receiving skills out of the backfield ... so he emphasized that.
These summer months, though, passed with a little less clarity. Edwards-Helaire said Chiefs coaches didn’t give him an indication of what his role might be for 2023.
“So this offseason, it was general workouts, honestly,” Edwards-Helaire said. “Doing my running-back things, doing the things that I feel like were my building blocks when I first came into the league.”
In his fourth NFL season, Edwards-Helaire says he knows his skill set by now. He’s confident in catching out of the backfield and getting tough yards running up the middle if needed.
He readied himself for this campaign, then, by taking a nonspecific approach.
“It’s not necessarily pinpointing and funneling to do one thing, but I just did an overall broad ‘the running-back position’ of what everybody feels that it is,” Edwards-Helaire said. “But I wouldn’t necessarily say I’m in that span of just only doing one thing. I do it all.”
The looming question remains of exactly what the Chiefs want him to do for their offense following three injury-marred and mostly frustrating seasons.
Edwards-Helaire — the Chiefs took him with the first round’s final pick in the 2020 NFL Draft — is still just 24 years old. He began last year as the Chiefs’ starting running back before rookie Isiah Pacheco passed him on the depth chart midseason; after that, in Week 11, Edwards-Helaire suffered a high-ankle sprain that landed him on injured reserve.
The Chiefs activated Edwards-Helaire from the IR during Super Bowl week, but he was listed as inactive for the game.
That backstory only adds to the mystery of what the Chiefs hope to get from Edwards-Helaire in the final year of his rookie deal. He’s spent at least some time with the 1s during training-camp drills the last two weeks, but Chiefs coach Andy Reid didn’t reveal much when talking Friday about his impression of Edwards-Helaire in camp.
“I like what he’s doing. He’s practicing hard, aggressive. He’s doing a nice job,” Reid said. “You can tell he adds experience and all that.”
During his interview session with reporters, Edwards-Helaire was asked what he thought his role should be this upcoming season.
“That’s not my space to say,” Edwards-Helaire said. “It’s really ... whenever they call my number, it doesn’t matter. Like I said, I run between the tackles. I catch out of the backfield. Even beforehand, like going to the Super Bowl, that whole week, I practiced receiver. So I can’t sit here and tell you what I exactly feel, what my role should be, but I know I can do whatever on the field.”
The Chiefs have other intriguing options at running back. That includes Pacheco, who ran for more than 1,000 rushing yards combined in the regular season and postseason, and also Jerick McKinnon, who was the AFC offensive player of the month in December.
In addition, undrafted rookie Deneric Prince has been one of the standouts since summer practices. He projects as the team’s starting kickoff returner, with a chance to add more on offense throughout the season like Pacheco did last season.
KC also could face a roster crunch soon. The team appears likely to keep seven receivers at this point, which could require cutting a spot from a different position.
All that leaves Edwards-Helaire’s status — he’ll make $1.99 million in base salary this season, according to Spotrac — with some uncertainty as the Chiefs move closer to the end of camp.
Through it all, Edwards-Helaire vows to be ready for which ever ways the Chiefs plan to utilize him, saying he’s felt good about his camp performance to this point.
“Whatever I’ve been asked to do, I’ve been doing it,” Edwards-Helaire said, “and it’s been going pretty smooth for me.”
