The Pressure Cooker: Can Edwards-Helaire Rise to the Top?
Continuing our look at Chiefs entering potential make-or-break seasons
I have been looking this month at Kansas City Chiefs who may be under the most pressure to perform in 2022.
So far, the focus has been on the Chiefs’ 2019 draft class, with Mecole Hardman and Juan Thornhill both put into the Pressure Cooker. They not only shared a draft class but were in identical situations: veteran players at their positions, leaving the Chiefs and them pole positions to take a big step forward.
This next player into the Pressure Cooker brings us back to the offensive side of the ball and is none other than Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Unlike the previous two, Edwards-Helaire already has a hold on the “starting” role at his position, but plenty of competition has been brought in to challenge CEH, who’s been pretty pedestrian his first two seasons in Kansas City. Ronald Jones (free agent) and Isaiah Pacheco (draft) were added to the roster this offseason, and Jerick McKinnon who recently returned with a new one-year contract.
Through his first two season, Edwards-Helaire has struggled to some to live up to his first-round draft position. And with the moves the Chiefs have made at the running back position this offseason it’s hard not to wonder if those in charge at are hedging toward a future without him.
With that in mind, it’s Pressure Cooker time.
Will Edwards-Helaire rise to the top of this new competition in 2022? Or will he settle and mix into the scrum?
The Pressure Cooker: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Why is He Here?
CEH always had an uphill climb in the NFL because of things completely out of his control. He was a first-round pick to a Super Bowl winning team and has been held to the standard of not only living up to his draft status but also to help make one of the best NFL offenses even better. Whether fair or not, he certainly hasn’t lived up to those expectations.
This conversation can’t go much further without mentioning some unluckiness with CEH’s health over his first two seasons and a lack of traditional offseasons, but results are results.
The Chiefs appear to be preparing themselves for the possibility that what he’s been is what he will be in the NFL.
The additions of Jones and Pacheco, and return of McKinnon, add a lot of extra talent to the Chiefs running backs room, with all the guys capable of fill various roles.
This could be CEH’s final chance to take control and be “The Guy” for an NFL team.
When He Was At His Best
Going back to his time at LSU, CEH has always been at his best when working vertically toward the line of scrimmage, rather than parallel. When the Chiefs have dialed up straight-forward runs, such as Duo, Power, Counter or the above Iso, he has looked more comfortable and dynamic as a runner.
His vision and change-of-direction ability is dangerous when running in this fashion. He maintains his speed well through multiple cuts and often shows the right amount of patience to set up second-level defenders. Some of these traits can be seen on Inside Zone runs as well.
CEH was a dynamic receiver while at LSU, but that same success hasn’t yet been duplicated in the NFL. He still flashes good route-running ability and has solid hands for a running back — and he even pairs that with quality open field running — but for whatever reason, the Chiefs haven’t found a way in two seasons to fully unlock his ability as a receiver.
How Edwards-Helaire Will Rise
There are two clear paths for CEH to rise to the top and live up to his draft slot.
The first is simply for him to start to gel as part of the Chiefs’ passing attack. A major part of what made him such an enticing draft option was his ability as a receiver out of the backfield and as a split-out receiver.
The Chiefs have barely dabbled in anything that isn’t just utilizing him as a check-down option, and that will need to change if he wants to break out in 2022. He also needs to make more out of his opportunities when he does get targeted. Drops and/or passes have been an issue at times.
The other option is as a runner, but that’s somewhat out of his control.
The Chiefs’ offense may look a little different in 2022, and if they can transition to more of a power game, that should help CEH significantly.
The opportunities have been more limited on these types of runs, but his efficiency and comfort appears much better when doing so. If Kansas City emphasizes these types of plays this season, CEH’s production should improve as well.
How Edwards-Helaire Could Crack
If the Chiefs offense continues down the same path of usage for Edwards-Helaire in 2022, it’s hard to see how he’ll make a significant jump. Specifically, if the Chiefs continue to hang their hat on Outside Zone and Inside Zone runs, often times off Read-Pass Option looks. These types of runs often require CEH to work laterally and then make a singular, explosive cut through the line of scrimmage. And that’s simply not his game.
While the Outside Zone runs are the least productive, he’s also struggled at pacing on Inside Zone runs. He looks much less comfortable reading out his offensive line’s blocking scheme and how linebackers are attacking them.
Combining a rather pedestrian rushing effort on these zone runs with mediocre pass production and receiving production, it could really open the door wide open for other running backs on the roster.
McKinnon showed out as a better zone runner last year for the Chiefs, Ronald Jones is a bigger back with more speed, and one of Pacheco’s best skills is his pass protection.
If CEH isn’t careful, he could easily find himself directly in the middle of a “Running back by committee” situation, in which every players specializes in one or two things.
In the End
Edwards-Helaire may have the most pressure on him for the Chiefs in the 2022 season, in terms of his future. The Chiefs have spent resources to add to the room with varying skill sets and body types as they continue to look for a Kareem Hunt-like player.
The hope was CEH could develop into that all-around, three down running back — and he still can — but that hasn’t yet come to fruition. The Chiefs are starting to show some potential signs of not believing it will happen as well, but they haven’t over-committed at this point. While they have added a lot of bodies, the investments have been minimal.
It seems entirely in CEH’s court to take advantage of this situation and shine. Some schematic changes could help swing the pendulum his direction, but if he proves to be too limited in his skillset, the Chiefs could be looking for new long-terms options by next season.
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Andy seems to prefer outside zone runs even when his personnel is better at power. Are zone runs more likely to produce explosive plays?