The Kansas City Chiefs are considered one of the best offensive units in the entire NFL. The Chiefs were really lackluster offensively last season (by their standards), but that was mainly due to the overall performance of their wide receivers.
A lot of time has already been spent on the wide receiver position this offseason, while much less attention has been given to their other weak spot: running back on passing downs.
In today's NFL, a pass-heavy offense needs a reliable passing-down running back, and while this job is commonly referred to as a “third-down back,” the job extends beyond third downs, as this back is often used on clear passing downs.
Jerick McKinnon filled that role for the Chiefs last season. He played 281 snaps, with 243 of them recorded as a receiver or pass blocker by Pro Football Focus, meaning 86.5% of his snaps were at receiver or in pass protection.
All of KC's running backs had high receiving/pass-blocking percentages due to the frequency with which they threw passes, but McKinnon's 86.5% was by far the highest. Isaiah Pacheco had 58.9% and Clyde Edwards-Helaire had 68.9%. So if you translate those percentages into very simplified roles, Pacheco was the primary rusher, McKinnon was the passing-down specialist, and Clyde filled in for both when needed.
Now, maybe the Chiefs feel that Pacheco has improved enough on passing downs that he could play more on clear passing downs. PFF's ratings from last season indicate that's possible. They gave Pacheco a 69.9 receiving grade, which was slightly higher than McKinnon's 69.1. What's really surprising is that Pacheco's pass-blocking grade was also higher than McKinnon's (67.4 vs. 58.1). I don't consider PFF ratings the be-all and end-all of player evaluation, but I think they can give you a general impression of how a player performed in that area.
So the issue isn't Pacheco's performance on passing downs. Rather, he already played 781 snaps last season, and asking him to take over for McKinnon's 281 snaps (1,062 total) would be a bad idea given his thin frame and hard-charging running style. The other issue is that if you add more passing down snaps to Pacheco and assign Edwards-Haley more early down snaps to offset that load, last season's PFF rushing grades don't support that as a good plan.
Pacheco earned a rushing grade of 80.2 last season, which was 14th-best among eligible running backs last season. Clyde had a rushing grade of 64.6, which was 51st out of 59 eligible running backs. So while Pacheco seems well-suited to handle the passing down work, there doesn't appear to be a proven competent player to handle the early down work.
The Chiefs might use Edwards-Haley as a passing down back. He was certainly considered a quality receiving back coming out of college, but the Chiefs seemed hesitant to give him that role during his first four years with the team. Could they do that again next year? Maybe, but they'd at least have a backup plan for the passing job.
Another problem is that teams (including the Chiefs) tend to be very hesitant to give unproven young players the passing role because young backs are usually not ready to take on the responsibility of pass protection. So even if you think highly of players like Denerick Prince, Emani Bailey, Carson Steele or even Louis Rees-Zammit, it's highly unlikely that they'll be trusted as the primary passing back. It's possible that any of them could eventually be groomed to take over the role, but it's highly unlikely by 2024.
So it feels like the Chiefs have to make some kind of deal before the season starts. Maybe they want to see how the young guys respond first, but I don't think they have enough reliable options considering both Pacheco and CEH have injury histories. I wouldn't rule out bringing back Jerick McKinnon at some point, but he does seem to be slowing down, which is common in the NFL at his age.
So what other free agent options are there? The most obvious would be Kareem Hunt. Hunt has experience in Kansas City and is familiar with the system. He also served as Cleveland's pass-down back the past few seasons. Hunt is no longer in his prime, but he is 28 years old compared to McKinnon's 32. A bigger concern may be the off-field issues that caused Kansas City to cut ties with him in the first place. Given the turmoil surrounding Russie Rice, Kansas City may not want the media backlash that would come with bringing him back to Kansas City, but he would fill a personnel vacancy that the team currently has.
The only other possible option in free agency is Cam Akers. Akers has had his own injury issues (just returning from a second Achilles injury) and there were questions about his relationship with the Rams. But Akers has been a capable workhorse in terms of pass-catching. In limited snaps (139 total) last season, he posted an impressive 76.4 receiving grade and 71.2 pass-blocking grade. Pass blocking wasn't Akers' forte when he first came into the league, but he has improved in that area over his time in the NFL.
If the Chiefs want to sign a player who can play as a pass-catching back, Akers would be their most talented option if he is cleared to play by the start of the season. A passing-down role could be a good role for him as he tries to prove he is healthy and wouldn't be too taxing until he's back to 100%. Plus, he's still only 24, so they could give him a reasonable one-year deal this season and potentially a longer contract if it works out.
The Chiefs certainly need another addition at running back before the season starts, whether it's McKinnon, Hunt, Akers, or someone else. I think that person needs to be a pass-catching specialist, but I wouldn't dislike the idea of using Pacheco more on passing downs if they find someone who is good on early downs. Either way, I think running back is a position that needs reinforcement.
