KC Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss first four games of season: details
Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been placed on the reserve/non-football illness list and will miss Kansas City’s first four games of the season, starting with Thursday night’s opener against the Baltimore Ravens.
The move likely means the Chiefs will look to get newly acquired Samaje Perine up to speed quickly as a reserve. The Chiefs signed Perine, who will be starting his eighth NFL season, last week. The Chiefs also have undrafted rookie running Carson Steele on their 53-man active roster behind starter Isiah Pacheco.
“It’s one of those next-man-up mentalities,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “It will be important for all (backs) to know whether it’s running the ball or protection, or in the pass game, that they feel really good about their assignments.”
The 28-year-old Perine, who joined the Chiefs last week, spent last season with the Denver Broncos. He rushed for 238 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry during the 2023 campaign.
The news that Edwards-Helaire will be sidelined for at least a quarter of the 2024 season was first reported by Field Yates of ESPN.
The reason for the move wasn’t specified, but Edwards-Helaire talked recently about his struggles with post traumatic stress disorder, referencing a 2018 shooting incident that occurred while he was at LSU.
“December 22, 2018,” Edwards-Helaire said while speaking to reporters after a training-camp practice at Missouri Western this summer. “My best friend and I got into a self-defense situation. I’d say that’s where the majority of things stem from.”
That day, Edwards-Helaire and a teammate got into a pickup truck with a third person. The football players were expecting to sell that person a piece of electronics. Instead, a passenger allegedly pulled a gun and demanded the players’ valuables.
One of the players had a handgun of his own and fatally shot the passenger, although it was not determined who pulled the trigger. The players were not charged.
The incident has reverberated with Edwards-Helaire throughout his time with the Chiefs. He was their first-round draft selection in 2020 and has been part of two Super Bowl championship teams while appearing in 48 regular-season games.
PTSD is a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event, either experienced or witnessed. Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares and anxiety. According to the National Center for PTSD, about 6% of the U.S. population will deal with PTSD at some point in their lives.
Edwards-Helaire was 19 at the time of the shooting.
This story was originally published September 2, 2024 at 11:03 AM.