You can never have too much depth in the NFL, and for that reason, it’s hard to fault the Kansas City Chiefs for signing Elijah Mitchell, especially when Isiah Pacheco was limited to just seven regular-season appearances last season. Still, while depth is valuable, there are only so many spots to go around when there’s a 53-man limit. Based on how the Chiefs’ roster looks, it feels like there’s a real chance Mitchell doesn’t play in a game for Kansas City at all.
This was an upside signing for Kansas City. Mitchell showed great flashes in his rookie season, rushing for over 900 yards in just 11 games, and he averaged 6.2 yards per carry in five appearances in 2023. The talent is there, but he’s been limited to a total of 16 games and 120 carries over the past two regular seasons due to injuries, and in his 11 appearances last season, he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry.
The injury-prone back is in a crowded backfield and is coming off his worst season. If he has a poor training camp and preseason, is it really out of the question that the Chiefs will part ways with him before the regular season begins?
Chiefs might come to regret signing Elijah Mitchell in record time
To be fully transparent, no, the Chiefs won’t be rushing to make this move. They gave Mitchell $2.5 million on a one-year deal, and cutting him would result in the team taking on $1.1 million of dead cap. No NFL team wants to take on any dead money, especially before the player on the chopping block plays in a single game. Still, again, there are only 53 players on an NFL active roster, and only three or four of those are running backs. Let’s go through Kansas City’s options.
Pacheco is the team’s starter and an obvious lock to make the team. Hunt was relied on heavily when Pacheco was hurt and figures to be Kansas City’s backup at the position. The Chiefs just used a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Brashard Smith. Sure, they don’t have to roster him, but it’d be weird to use a seventh-round pick and cut him before the regular season begins, right? Then, there’s Mitchell.
There’s a lot of upside with Mitchell, as mentioned above, as he’s had some solid NFL success not too long ago. However, again, he’s coming off his worst season and has had his share of injury woes. If he can’t stay healthy and/or struggles to find his previous form, what would the Chiefs get out of rostering him?
A strong training camp and preseason would all but guarantee Mitchell a Week 1 roster spot, even if he’d have a small-ish role. It’d be foolish to sign him and then cut him if he looks good. However, if he gets hurt or struggles, it gets a lot harder to justify keeping him around. This will be an interesting storyline for Chiefs fans to follow come August.
