Chiefs: 3 2022 roster holes that could cost Patrick Mahomes a Super Bowl

The Running Backs

As a certified Clyde Edwards-Helaire stan, this one is tough to admit. The running back committee that the Chiefs have deployed in recent years simply hasn’t been good enough. Particularly to the Chiefs’ standards. When weighed against a history defined by the likes of Christian Okoye, Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, and Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs running backs since 2019 have been utterly disappointing.

With the offense coming into the year deploying a brand-new receiving corps, Mahomes will have a greater variety of weapons than ever before, but no offense is complete without balance. In an effort to beef up the running back committee, Brett Veach signed free agents Ronald Jones and Jerick McKinnon, and he used a draft pick on Isiah Pacheco from Rutgers. Sprinkle in UDFA’s Jerrion Ealy (Ole Miss) and Tayon Fleet-Davis (Maryland), and there are a ton of options to either compliment or compete with CEH.

Regardless of whether Edwards-Helaire breaks onto the scene in his third season, another individual will emerge as RB1. Or, if there is a legitimate rotation, Mahomes will still need support from the rushing attack. Given the strength of the offensive line, running back play may well come down to the play calling even more than the execution, but if neither improve in 2022, the running backs could very well keep the team from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy once more.