BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 23: Clyde Edwards-Helaire #22 of the LSU Tigers scores a touchdown against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Tiger Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
With Damien Williams opting out, Clyde Edwards-Helaire will carry the load at running back.
Maybe taking a running back in the first round will end up not looking so shocking after all for the Kansas City Chiefs, as 2020 first round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire will now for sure be the RB1 when the Chiefs host the Houston Texans on (hopefully) September 10th.
Previously, Damien Williams had a strong chance to be the team’s starting running back due to him being with the team the past two years and performing incredibly well in the playoffs (in particular the Super Bowl where he should have won the MVP).
Well, now Williams won’t be suiting up for the defending Super Bowl champions, instead choosing to opt-out of the season due to COVID-19, and that means it’s go time for the LSU rookie running back to take the field and shine bright.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire will get his fair share of work now that Williams is opting out.
In all likelihood, Edwards-Helaire was going to be heavily utilized even with Williams on the field, but now, it’s going to be a heavy dose of him week in and week out.
The LSU product totaled 1,414 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 453 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown during the 2019 season that saw the Tigers win the National Championship over Clemson. Edwards-Helaire can do it at all and is one of the best running backs at evading tacklers that we’ve seen in a long time.
Aside from Williams and Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs have Darrel Williams, Darwin Thompson, and DeAndre Washington at the running back position, so they have depth, but none of those guys are going to get the playing time that CEH will. He’ll be the go-to and if the Chiefs need a running play, it’s going to be Clyde Edwards-Helaire who gets the handoff.
Damien Williams was really good for the Chiefs in the playoffs last year, but during the regular season, he struggled to stay healthy and sometimes just wasn’t very consistent. The Chiefs run game was one of their weakest areas offensively and that changes with Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the RB1 in the backfield from week one.
If people thought the Chiefs offense was unstoppable before, this kid is going to put them even more over the top and now Chiefs Kingdom will get to see him do more as a rookie.
Props to Damien Williams for making the best decision for him and his family. Normally a team losing their starting running back right before training camp would be a crushing blow, but the Chiefs have the best possible Plan B there is and it’s going to be fun watching Edwards-Helaire do his thing on Sundays this fall.