Source: Chiefs bring back RB Edwards-Helaire

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs agreed to re-sign running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to a one-year deal, a source confirmed.

Edwards-Helaire’s return gives the Chiefs some depth at the position behind starter Isiah Pacheco and comes on the same day the team hosted free agent running back J.K. Dobbins on a visit.

Edwards-Helaire hasn’t lived up to the promise the Chiefs saw in him when they drafted him in the first round in 2020. He made it through a full season in 2023 after injuries plagued his first three seasons but did so as a backup behind Pacheco, who took over the starting job in the 2022 season.

Edwards-Helaire finished last season with 223 yards as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII in overtime against the San Francisco 49ers.

He led the Chiefs in rushing as a rookie with 803 yards but late-season injuries to his ankle and hip left him at less than full strength for the playoffs and the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LV loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Edwards-Helaire, 24, missed six games in 2021 with a sprained MCL and his production dipped. He finished second on the team in rushing that season with 517 yards.

In 2022, a high-ankle sprain kept him out of seven games. Before he was injured, he lost his starting spot to Pacheco, who was the regular featured back as the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII over the Philadelphia Eagles. Edwards-Helaire finished that season with 302 rushing yards.

In his four seasons, Edwards-Helaire has averaged 4.2 yards per carry on 441 attempts for 1,845 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also caught 89 passes for 765 yards and another seven TDs.

The news of Edwards-Helaire’s deal was first reported by NFL Network.