The Kansas City Chiefs were the AFC’s No. 1 seed after a 15-2 regular season and made it to the Super Bowl last year, and that was with a below-par run game.
Ranked 26th for rush yards per game (101.2), led by Kareem Hunt, who took over from Isiah Pacheco, who suffered a leg injury early in the season, the Chiefs chugged away with Hunt’s bruising style, pounding teams into submission.
But the rushing attack lacked a serious speed threat to break big gains in the blink of an eye. That led general manager Brett Veach to sign free agent Elijah Mitchell, who didn’t play a snap in 2024 due to a hamstring injury.
And it is hoped that Mitchell can bring a different style to a run game that needs it.
“He’s got a little quickness and speed,” Reid said via ESPN. “He’s also got the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield or [the Chiefs can] flex him out. When he was healthy, he did a pretty good job in San Francisco.”
Mitchell posted 963 yards and five touchdowns in his rookie season, but injuries took a toll from then on. Just five games in 2022 and then 11 in 2023 before missing the entire 2024 season.
So Elijah comes to Kansas City with a chip on his shoulder after a fair fall from grace after his solid rookie season.
Now part of a trio with Hunt and Pacheco, Mitchell will give the Chiefs a different element out of the backfield, one that could also open things up for Patrick Mahomes in the passing game.
Yes, there will be some rust, and Elijah’s health will be closely watched this offseason, but if the Chiefs can get a healthy and fully firing Mitchell for 2025, then fireworks might be on the way.
