What Jerick McKinnon's Addition Means for the Running Back Room

KC's backfield roster battle will be worth watching all the way to Week 1

The Chiefs on Tuesday officially welcomed back a key member of their 2021 playoffs backfield in Jerick McKinnon, which is good because the former Georgia Southern quarterback (yes you read that right!) was their most consistent back in last year’s postseason.

He totaled 315 yards from scrimmage (nearly evenly split between rushing and receiving) and added a touchdown, becoming a key contributor at the most important time of the season.

His time in KC is remembered for some positive moments at the tail end of the regular season, but the bright spots were real during the playoffs.

McKinnon proved a savvy addition to the 90-man roster last season — adding much-needed depth and competition — but he enters a little different scenario this offseason.

There’s simply more competition in the mix.

The Chiefs and general manager Brett Veach said goodbye to longtime stalwart Darrel Williams, who moved on to the Arizona Cardinals, and instead invested in the position in free agency and the draft.

Ronald Jones was signed away from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a contract that could pay him up to $5 million dollars in 2022, which appears to signify he’s a lock to make the team, even if it’s as a back up or part of a committee with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs’ 2020 first round pick who has had a rash of injuries to start his career.

Kansas City also used a seventh-round draft pick on Rutgers’ Isiah Pacheco, who’s intriguing but far from a lock to make the team. He still has a lot to prove in training camp to secure his job.

Derrick Gore is another player who proved valuable in 2021, and he’s back on the roster heading into training camp. But keep in mind that McKinnon already beat out Gore once for a roster spot.

The addition of McKinnon adds to the difficulty for undrafted free agent Jerrion Ealy to make the roster as well, considering what McKinnon has shown to do as a dynamic piece of a backfield.

McKinnon does, however, return on the wrong side of 30, and he’s still unable to shake the “injury-prone” label after he missed significant time yet again.

McKinnon, Pacheco, Gore and Ealy aren’t just competing internally at the running back position. They’re competing with other position battles on the Chiefs in a year where it could be tricky year to keep more than three running backs on the 53-man roster.

With a likelihood of four tight ends and a need for six wide receivers on the roster, the battle for the third running back spot could be the battle for the final spot on the roster if the team isn’t willing to sacrifice players at other positions.

Special teams is going to continue to drive the bottom of the roster, and McKinnon saw some time in the “hidden third” last season. He’ll have to play teams to make the team, because Edwards-Helaire and Jones are likely not going to be.

The Chiefs will have a lot of factors to consider when it comes to cutdown day. McKinnon is entering this battle for a roster spot now on the wrong side of the 30, continued concern about his durability, and more competition.

Maybe the Chiefs think they can sneak him onto the practice squad if he doesn’t make the initial roster. After all, it’s taken him to this point to find a team — maybe the market won’t dictate that the Chiefs have to protect him initially. That could also help him stay healthy for high leverage moments the Chiefs need him for.

The roster battle at running back got a lot more interesting this week. It’s a solid addition to the depth and competition at the position.

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