Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Option not picked up
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Kansas City declined Edwards-Helaire's fifth-year option for 2024, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.
Injuries have prevented Edwards-Helaire from building on a rookie season in which he led the team with 803 rushing yards. During the 2022 campaign, the 2020 first-rounder lost the starting job to seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco and rushed for just 302 yards in 10 games before suffering a high-ankle sprain in Week 11 against the Chargers, ending his regular season. Edwards-Helaire's fifth-year option would have been fully guaranteed at $5.46 million, but now he's a candidate to enter free agency in 2024. He figures to work behind Pacheco in a Kansas City backfield that also includes Jerick McKinnon, who the team re-signed Tuesday.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Unlikely to get fifth-year option
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Chiefs GM Brett Veach said Thursday that the team will wait until after the NFL Draft to make a decision on Edwards-Helaire's fifth-year option, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports.
It's possible the Chiefs have already made a decision internally, as it seems unlikely they'd pick up the option after the 2020 first-round pick missed 14 regular-season games the past two years and saw his role diminished even when healthy in 2022. That doesn't mean Edwards-Helaire can't be part of the team's backfield plan for 2023, but it does mean the Chiefs are unlikely to guarantee him a $5.46 million salary for 2024. The fifth-year-option deadline for 2020 first-rounders is May 3, four days after the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Sitting out Super Bowl
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Edwards-Helaire (coach's decision) is listed as inactive for Super Bowl LVII against the Eagles on Sunday.
Sidelined since suffering a high-ankle sprain Week 11, Edwards-Helaire had a chance to return to action for the Super Bowl when the Chiefs activated him from injured reserve Monday. That said, the team will continue to roll with the combination of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon out of the backfield, relegating Edwards-Helaire to a healthy scratch Sunday. Behind Pacheco and McKinnon, Ronald Jones also will be available to Kansas City's offense.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Comes off IR ahead of Super Bowl
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The Chiefs activated Edwards-Helaire (ankle) off the injured reserve list Monday.
Kansas City placed Mecole Hardman (pelvis) on IR in a corresponding move. Edwards-Helaire last saw game action Week 11, but he's managed to return from his high-ankle sprain with roughly a week left to practice ahead of Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, Feb. 12. Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon have been impactful as the Chiefs' backfield leaders since Edwards-Helaire's initial injury, so it remains to be seen how touches will be distributed in the big game versus Philadelphia. The extent of Edwards-Helaire's participation in practice could be telling as to his potential workload.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Still on IR
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Edwards-Helaire (ankle) wasn't activated from IR ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bengals.
With Edwards-Helaire, who last saw game action Week 11, still unavailable, Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon are in line to continue to pace Kansas City's ground game versus Cincinnati. Edwards-Helaire thus will target a potential return to action if the Chiefs are able to advance to the Super Bowl.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Chance to play Sunday
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Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday that "there's a chance" Edwards-Helaire (ankle) could be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bengals, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.
Edwards-Helaire, who hasn't played since suffering a high-ankle sprain during Week 11, appears to be inching toward a return to the mix as soon as this weekend after he resumed practicing with the team Jan. 17. If he's available Sunday, Edwards-Helaire would bolster a Kansas City backfield that's been led of late by Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Staying on IR for divisional round
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The Chiefs didn't activate Edwards-Helaire (ankle) from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's divisional-round game against the Jaguars, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
On Tuesday, Edwards-Helaire mixed into drills for the first time since sustaining a high-ankle sprain Week 11. Getting designated for return from IR gave the third-year pro a chance to get back on Kansas City's active roster, but coach Andy Reid quelled that notion Thursday, telling Nate Taylor of The Athletic that the team was unlikely to make such a transaction. Because that has come to pass, Edwards-Helaire will remain sidelined while Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Ronald Jones man the backfield.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Unlikely to return Saturday
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Coach Andy Reid said Thursday that the Chiefs are "probably not" activating Edwards-Helaire (ankle) from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's divisional-round game against the Jaguars, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.
Edwards-Helaire has been sidelined since sustaining a high-ankle sprain back in Week 11, missing the final seven contests of the regular season as a result. After the team's first-round bye, he finally returned to practice Tuesday, but it appears he isn't quite healthy enough to get back on the active roster. Ultimately, Kansas City has until 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday to make such a decision. In the meantime, Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and Ronald Jones will continue to man the Chiefs backfield.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Resumes practicing
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Edwards-Helaire (ankle) will practice Tuesday and has been designated for return from injured reserve, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.
Edwards-Helaire has been sidelined since late November after suffering a high-ankle sprain in Kansas City's Week 11 game against the Chargers, but following nearly two months of recovery, he's now preparing for a return to the field. In Edwards-Helaire's absences, the team has gotten quality production from the running back tandem of Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon, with Ronald Jones even scoring a touchdown in the regular-season finale, so Kansas City may not be eager to rush Edwards-Helaire back into a prominent role following a lengthy layoff. Even if the 2020 first-round pick isn't activated from IR ahead of the divisional-round game against the Jaguars on Saturday, Kansas City would still have up to two more weeks to evaluate him in practice before adding him back to the 53-man roster.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Tuesday that Edwards-Helaire (ankle) won't be activated from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's game against the Seahawks, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports. "He's getting close. He's not quite there yet, but he is getting close," Reid said of Edwards-Helaire. "He's working his tail off, but we'll see. He won't be out there this week."
Edwards-Helaire was placed on IR in mid-November and is now eligible to return to the 53-man roster after missing the requisite four games, but the running back apparently hasn't progressed enough in his recovery from the high-ankle sprain to make it back for Week 16. Until the Chiefs designate him for return from IR -- which would open up a 21-day window wherein he can be evaluated during practice -- Edwards-Helaire's return to the lineup shouldn't be viewed as imminent. Even if Edwards-Helaire is able to make it back for Week 17 or Week 18, he may find himself third in the backfield pecking order behind Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. Pacheco has averaged a respectable 4.5 yards per carry as the Chiefs' lead option on the ground during Edwards-Helaire's four-game absence, and McKinnon has accounted for five touchdowns and has averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 8.7 yards per target over that same stretch while serving as a change-of-pace option.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Placed on IR
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The Chiefs placed Edwards-Helaire (ankle) on injured reserve Tuesday.
Edwards-Helaire will miss a minimum of four games while he receovers from a high ankle sprain, with Week 16 against Seattle representing the earliest possible date for a return. Isiah Pacheco had supplanted him in the Kansas City backfield in recent weeks anyway, but Edwards-Helaire still had a role off the bench before injuring his ankle in the second quarter of Sunday's win over the Chargers. It'll be Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon leading the way for the Chiefs the next month, and Ronald Jones may also get some chances for the first time all year.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Slated to go on IR
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Edwards-Helaire (ankle) is in line to be placed on IR, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
Look for the move to be made official later Wednesday, with Edwards-Helaire now in line to miss at least four games with a high ankle sprain. In his absence, Isiah Pacheco is slated to lead the Chiefs' ground game, with Jerick McKinnon on hand to work in a complementary/change-of-pace role and Ronald Jones available in reserve.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Dealing with high-ankle sprain
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Edwards-Helaire sustained a high-ankle sprain Sunday night against the Chargers, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.
The report notes that Edwards-Helaire left the locker room Sunday with his right ankle in a walking boot, with the running back's status cloudy as this weekend's game against the Rams approaches. Even before injuring his ankle, Edwards-Helaire had been seeing a decreased workload, and if he misses time, Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon would be in line to continue to lead Kansas City's backfield.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Sidelined by ankle injury
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Edwards-Helaire (ankle) won't return to Sunday's game against the Chargers.
Edwards-Helaire had two carries for nine yards before getting hurt. He was ruled out at halftime. Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon will continue to split snaps in a Chiefs backfield that had largely phased out Edwards-Helaire prior to the injury.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Takes season-low four snaps in win
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Edwards-Helaire played a season-low four snaps and didn't log a carry while failing to haul in either of his targets in Sunday's 27-17 win over the Jaguars.
For the third game in a row, Edwards-Helaire ceded the start at running back to Isiah Pacheco, but Sunday marked the first time the latter took on anything resembling a starter's workload. With Pacheco getting off to a nice start to Sunday's game, head coach Andy Reid relied on him more heavily, with the Rutgers product finishing with 16 carries for 82 yards while playing 56 percent of the snaps. Edwards-Helaire, meanwhile, nearly fell out of the game plan entirely, while Jerick McKinnon (37 percent snap share, six receptions for 56 yards on eight targets) retained a role as the Chiefs' primary passing-down back. Given that Pacheco's strong outing perhaps only further solidified him as the Chiefs' top option on early downs, Edwards-Helaire looks like he could find himself third in the pecking order for snaps out of the backfield moving forward.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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You're playing with fire if you start Edwards-Helaire. It's pretty clear to see that he's not only NOT the Chiefs' passing-downs back, but part of a committee on run downs. You might assume he's a touchdown-or-bust running back, but he played one snap inside the 10 last week against the Titans and one snap inside the 10 the game prior against the 49ers. Mecole Hardman has played more, had more touches and scored three times inside the 10 in those past two. You simply should not trust Edwards-Helaire until he gets back in the good graces of his coaching staff.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Held to 19 yards on five touches
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Edwards-Helaire rushed four times for five yards and caught one of two targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 20-17 overtime win over Tennessee.
The Chiefs continued to deploy a three-pronged rushing attack, splitting the work fairly evenly between Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco. Unlike their last game, the trio failed to get anything going on the ground (14 combined rushing yards), and McKinnon was the only back to contribute anything meaningful as a receiver (six receptions for 40 yards). While it is tough to trust Edwards-Helaire after Sunday's dud, he does appear to still be the team's short-yardage back heading into a softer matchup against the Jaguars.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: RBs to Sit
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The downside for Edwards-Helaire was on display the past two weeks when he didn't score a touchdown, and he failed to score against Las Vegas in Week 5 and Buffalo in Week 6, combining for nine PPR points over that span. He's played fewer snaps than Jerick McKinnon in four of the past five games, and Edwards-Helaire could struggle for positive production again this week. The 49ers have only allowed three touchdowns to running backs all season and just two to score more than 11 PPR points. It's hard to completely bench Edwards-Helaire in most leagues, but I consider him more of a flex option this week given the matchup.
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Chiefs' Clyde Edwards-Helaire: Could yield Week 7 start
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Edwards-Helaire's teammate Isiah Pacheco is a candidate to start Sunday's game against the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The report notes that Pacheco took first-team reps in practice this week and is expected to draw the start Sunday, with Edwards-Helaire maintaining a key role in Kansas City's offense and Jerick McKinnon mixing in. Per Rapoport, both Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire are expected to see significant snaps against the 49ers, so Edwards-Helaire still figures to factor in, but the looming possibility that Pacheco (who logged just two carries in Week 6) assumes a larger role in Week 7 threatens Edwards-Helaire's fantasy ceiling.
Edwards-Helaire has been trending in the wrong direction for weeks. He's basically a touchdown-needy back at this point since the Chiefs don't seem committed to giving him a starter's snap share, much less 15 touches per week. The matchup against the 49ers doesn't help. I'd rather start Jeff Wilson, Kareem Hunt and Brian Robinson.
