The Chiefs running back depth is suspect, but they didn’t take a chance on Adrian Peterson
The future Hall of Famer signed with the Detroit Lions instead, ironically a division rival of Peterson’s longtime home, the Minnesota Vikings. This is after the Washington Football Team opted to go younger in their backfield, matching a franchise-wide effort to build for the future at virtually every position.
Peterson still has plenty left to give, but the Chiefs didn’t feel they’d have the necessary turnaround to add AP to the backfield before Thursday’s night’s game against the Houston Texans.
Chiefs showed some level of interest in Adrian Peterson this week - OC Eric Bieniemy was his long-time running backs coach in Minnesota -- but the Thursday night game was too tough a turnaround to seriously consider.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) September 6, 2020
Did the Chiefs miss a golden opportunity to solidify their backfield?
Andy Reid and Co. are extraordinarily confident that Clyde Edwards-Helaire can handle the majority of the workload. The had some interest in Leonard Fournette, only to put up virtually no fight as he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The same can be said with Peterson, a veteran who would’ve had no issue slotting in behind CEH and teaching him the ropes in a limited role. AP hasn’t won a Super Bowl, and playing on a true contender would’ve been a benefit to him as well.
Behind Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs depth chart features Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson. This is after they opted to release DeAndre Washington despite having signed him from division rival Vegas this offseason.
It’s not a wise choice to question Brett Veach’s decision making, and given the moves he’s been able to pull off this offseason, it seems likely he knows something the general pundits do not. On the surface, however, KC better hope Edwards-Helaire stays healthy and is the workhorse they expect him to be.