DeAndre Washington release puts Chiefs RB depth in question

Did the Kansas City Chiefs make the right call cutting DeAndre Washington?

The Kansas City Chiefs surprisingly cut veteran running back DeAndre Washington on Saturday.

According to ESPN’s Field Yates, “The Chiefs have informed RB DeAndre Washington of his release, per source. Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson are now projected back-ups to Clyde Edwards-Helaire.” Prior to the 2020 NFL season, Washington had spent his entire pro career with the then-Oakland Raiders out of Texas Tech University. He’ll find work here soon enough.

Will cutting DeAndre Washington come back to haunt the Kansas City Chiefs?

Though Clyde Edwards-Helaire will be the Chiefs’ bell-cow back this fall, as they used the No. 32 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on the former LSU Tigers standout tailback, there’s not a lot of big-game experience with either Darrel Williams or Darwin Thompson backing him up. Williams has a career 185 rushing yards in two seasons. Thompson only had 125 last season as a rookie.

While Washington hasn’t been and never will be a featured running back, he was an exceptional receiving back for the Silver and Black the last four seasons. He and Jalen Richard backed up guys like Marshawn Lynch and Josh Jacobs as a solid running back trio for the Chiefs’ biggest rival. So Washington will not be out of work for very long, as he offers great value for his skill set.

The goods news for the Chiefs is the rest of their offense is spectacular. Patrick Mahomes can seemingly do no wrong as a passer. He has elite receivers to rifle the ball to in Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins and tight end Travis Kelce. The offensive line is not really an issue, as the Chiefs will put up points against whoever they play. But will they be able to run the football?

Having seen last year’s starting running back Damien Williams opt out of the 2020 campaign, the ball is firmly in Edwards-Helaire’s court. Perhaps the transition from the best college offense a season ago to arguably the best in the NFL will be seamless? Running backs typically have the easiest time making the jump from college to the pros. So Edwards-Helaire should be just fine.

However, we should be concerned about the Chiefs’ depth at running back. They may add a player at some point, but questions only remain beyond Edwards-Helaire as the bell-cow. Even then, how sure are we he wasn’t a product of Steve Ensminger and Joe Brady’s 2019 LSU offensive system? Though we love his upside, there are no guarantees in the Chiefs running back room.

Parting ways with Washington could be something the Chiefs end up regret doing in a few weeks.