When the Chiefs picked Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the final pick of the first round during the 2020 NFL Draft, it was the luxury pick to end all luxury picks. After the 2018 draft saw just three running backs go in the first round, it was generally accepted that running backs just shouldn't go before No. 33, the start of the second round.
The Chiefs, however, were coming off a Super Bowl win and seemingly had few to no glaring holes on their roster. Edwards-Helaire was the primary running back at LSU, which was one of the best offenses college football had ever seen. So the NFL world was rattled when Kansas City opted to pick Edwards-Helaire at No. 32, knowing that he was seemingly a perfect fit in Andy Reid's offense.
Forget missing piece. CEH was considered an EXTRA piece to a puzzle that was already solved.
Fast forward to 2022, Edwards-Helaire has hardly played in the past three weeks, and certainly hasn't been the perfect running back-receiver hybrid he was expected to be when the Chiefs drafted him. Instead, Isiah Pacheco has become the Chiefs' all-purpose back, which hasn't exactly blown the doors off, either.
What happened to create this running back debacle in Kansas City? Edwards-Helaire wasn't "bad" in either of his first two seasons. He simply wasn't the perfect fit he was thought to be.
The Sporting News looks at where things fell apart.
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Where was Clyde Edwards-Helaire drafted?
Edwards-Helaire was picked 32nd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, ahead of the likes of D'Andre Swift (35) and Jonathan Taylor (41).
He was helped along by the historic success of the 2019 LSU Tigers, who won a national championship behind one of the best offenses ever. He also didn't have the mileage Taylor racked up at Wisconsin, which was a concern ahead of the draft.
The Chiefs took Edwards-Helaire because of his high production ceiling and the seeming fit in their offense. It was, as mentioned, a luxury pick above all else, as the Chiefs' holes (if they could be called holes) were on the other side of the ball at linebacker and cornerback.
Edwards-Helaire caught 55 passes at LSU the previous season, showcasing his ability to catch out of the backfield.
The reasoning was clear: The Chiefs wanted to continue to outscore people. And having just won a Super Bowl, it was hard to argue with the logic.
Why Clyde Edwards-Helaire is losing snaps in Kansas City
1. The nature of the position
The first thing to look at with regards to Edwards-Helaire is the position he plays.
As a running back, the lifespan of an RB in the NFL is extremely short-- everyone is replaceable. So when a player gets injured, the attitude is "next man up." Edwards-Helaire missed five games midseason last year and was inactive the final two games of the season.
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Darrel Williams took over for Edwards-Helaire in those games, and the Chiefs actually ran the ball at a higher rate in those games. Williams led the team in rushing last season, a bad omen when he started just seven games.
While injuries won't necessarily take chances away from a player, lingering injuries or others playing well might.
2. Andy Reid's offense
One thing that's hard to overlook about the Chiefs and the building out of their roster: Everyone is replaceable as long as they aren't named Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is having as good a season as ever throwing the ball without Tyreek Hill, completing 67 percent of his passes so far for 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The Chiefs are dealing with some injuries at the receiver position, and in reality, Edwards-Helaire hasn't been the outstanding receiving back he was projected to be. Pacheco has a leaner frame than Edwards-Helaire, but he hasn't been used as a receiver much to date. The Chiefs have preferred to keep the positions separate so far this season.
Indeed, Edwards-Helaire had just four snaps against the Jaguars, and zero touches (with two targets). There's a non-zero chance he doesn't see the field this week against the Chargers.
3. Lack of production
In the NFL, good teams are a meritocracy. And the Chiefs simply didn't get first-round production out of Edwards-Helaire after drafting him.
While it isn't necessarily fair to hold where he was picked against him -- the Chiefs picked him there, after all -- it will always be something in the back of a team's mind if a player doesn't produce.
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Edwards-Helaire was drafted for versatility, but he's averaging 5.2 yards per touch on 86 touches in 2022. He does have six touchdowns, tied for a career-high, but that's as much a product of circumstance as anything.
Lack of production mixed with the volatility of running backs and the Chiefs' ability to play, well, anyone has led to the benching-in-practice treatment of Edwards-Helaire.
There is a chance, of course, Edwards-Helaire bounces back. He's only 23, after all. But it might need to be in greener pastures with the Chiefs looking like Super Bowl contenders. They're going to be playing the best players moving forward. And clearly, Reid and the powers that be have decided Edwards-Helaire isn't in that grouping.
