5 best training camp battles for Chiefs in 2019

Running Back: Damien Williams vs. Carlos Hyde

The Kansas City Chiefs offense didn’t miss a beat with Damien Williams in the starting lineup last season, as he played a critical role down the stretch and in the postseason. Williams became the Chiefs featured back after Kareem Hunt was released when video surfaced of him assaulting a woman at a hotel in Cleveland.

Williams finished the 2019 season with 256 rushing yards on 50 carries, averaging more than 5.0 yards per pop. He also made waves in the passing game, which is a huge plus in a passing offense that rewards running backs who can pile up yards after the catch. The 27-year-old absorbed a near-perfect 23 of his 24 targets, though he did average only seven yards per reception.

Because Williams has familiarity with the offense and impressed in some important games last season, it’s understandable that Andy Reid sees him as the starter. However, there are no guarantees for Williams, as he must compete against a former second-round pick who is dying to bounce back.

Carlos Hyde played some solid football for the Cleveland Browns at the beginning of the 2019 season, but he was deemed expendable by the organization after touted second-round pick Nick Chubb looked just as good as advertised coming out of Georgia.

So Hyde was shipped to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a mid-round pick, and that was basically a death sentence. No power back had a prayer of being productive in an offense quarterbacked by Blake Bortles or the even weaker Cody Kessler, so Hyde unsurprisingly finished with just 3.3 yards per carry on the season.

Hyde has natural talent, though, and the San Francisco 49ers may still have fond memories of his early-season, 182-yard outburst in primetime against the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. He is a powerful, incisive rusher with a nose for the end zone, as evidenced by his five rushing touchdowns in six games for the Browns in 2018.

But if Hyde wants to make a run for Williams’s spot, he’ll need to do two things. Firstly, he’ll need to be more efficient, as he still only ran for 3.4 yards per carry in Cleveland last year. Secondly, he’ll need to prove that the talk about his improved pass-catching skills is legitimate, because Williams seems to have a clear leg-up on Hyde on third downs.

Prediction: Damien Williams and Carlos Hyde have a time-share that favors Williams