The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a 4-0 start to the 2024 NFL season, but Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are already facing significant challenges as key offensive players have gone down with injuries.
Shortly after entering the season without wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown due to a sternoclavicular joint dislocation sustained in preseason, the Chiefs lost running back Isiah Pacheco and second-year wideout Rashee Rice in consecutive weeks.
The team reacted to Pacheco’s fractured fibula by bringing back Kareem Hunt, with Reid making a long-awaited move by promoting the 29-year-old to the 53-man roster before Week 4. Whether Rice will also be replaced remains to be seen, but the Chiefs may already get to provide Mahomes another weapon from their own stable.
This week, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire could make his way back to the Chiefs’ active roster. After spending the first four weeks of the season on the non-football injury (NFI) list, the 25-year-old is cleared to be eligible again.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire #25 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs with the ball during the second half against the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 13, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.
On Sunday, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Edwards-Helaire is set to return to practice this week. This would see Mahomes and Reid recover another offensive weapon at a crucial time, as the team is missing key players due to injury.
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Edwards-Helaire’s return could be meaningful for Chiefs
Edwards-Helaire’s return would be great news for the Chiefs but not only because it would give Reid and Mahomes another option in the running game. The player has been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is why his mere presence on the field would mean a lot.
“Living With PTSD is no small feat, its hard and very overwhelming . Within the last month Ive Had many flare ups and the Amazing staff here at the Chiefs have been helping me get through some tough times. I’ll be back rolling next Practice! All Love , Glydro,” Edwards-Helaire wrote on X (formerly Twitter) in July.
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Edwards-Helaire could boost Chiefs’ options at RB
While the wide receiver position looks uncertain after Rice’s injury, the RB room would surprisingly look stacked even with Pacheco out. If Edwards-Helaire is back, the Chiefs will have plenty of options to run the ball.
Hunt got most of the carries last time out, but Carson Steele was the go-to man in the previous week. Samaje Perine has also seen plenty of action, so Mahomes and Reid probably won’t need to worry about this position anymore.
