Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Expecting more targets

Edwards-Helaire and QB Patrick Mahomes both have suggested the Chiefs should throw more passes to running backs this season, ESPN's Adam Teicher reports.

Mahomes also mentioned Jerick McKinnon, Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson as pass-catching options out of the backfield, but it's Edwards-Helaire who figures to play the most snaps and run the most routes. The second-year pro reportedly focused on improving his receiving skills this offseason, after catching only 36 of 54 targets (66.7 percent) for 297 yards (5.5 YPT) and one touchdown in his debut campaign. Edwards-Helaire caught 55 passes his senior season at LSU, with his work in that area seemingly playing a big role in the Chiefs' decision to draft him with the 32nd overall pick in 2020. As such, the 22-year-old back still has a shot to earn a three-down role, though Williams and McKinnon would also be reasonable picks to handle obvious passing downs. The team's running backs accounted for 18.2 percent of the total targets last year, the 16th-highest rate in the league. That number was slightly lower in Mahomes' first season as a starter (2018 - 16.9 percent) and slightly higher in his second year (2019 - 19.9 percent).