The Kansas City Chiefs‘ treacherous journey to a comeback is in full swing. Andy Reid set the ball rolling by firing wide receivers coach Connor Embree, with more staff changes expected, and now the team’s roster also underwent notable changes on Sunday. As per reports, seven players officially became free agents as their practice squad contracts expired.

Offensive guard Nick Broeker, wide receiver Jason Brownlee, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, defensive end Malik Herring, fullback Carson Steele, defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu, and tight end Tre Watson will not count toward the compensatory pick formula and are reportedly free to sign with any NFL team.

While the Chiefs are free to re-sign the players on reserve/future contracts, the absence of doing so till now is indicative enough that the relationship might be over. That’s a downside for the players, especially for once highly-touted ones like Edwards-Helaire, but for the Chiefs, that opens the door for four players who are worth exploring, per journalist Charles Goldman.

Browns defensive end, KJ Henry, standing at 6-foot-4 and 255 pounds, is one good option. He has 2.5 career sacks (1.5 with Washington and 1 with Dallas).

Then there’s Giants wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who would be expected to fill a crucial hole: The absence of a kickoff-return touchdown for the Chiefs since the new kickoff rules (2024). Smith-Marsettle pulling off a 100-yard kick return touchdown for his team last year definitely puts up a strong case. It also helps that the player was already a part of the Chiefs’ practice squad in late 2022 before being elevated to the active roster prior to a season finale clash in January 2023. Now a Super Bowl champion, courtesy of Kansas City’s 38-35 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, the player was eventually traded to the Carolina Panthers later that year.

Vikings’ Sione Takitaki is reportedly another option. A veteran linebacker with seven NFL seasons under his belt, Takitaki’s best season came in 2020 with the Cleveland Browns, when he started 12 games, recording one interception, one interception returned for a touchdown, and a sack.

Six-year veteran running back and special teamer Nyheim Hines’ name is also in the mix. With seven kick returns for 195 yards for the Los Angeles Chargers earlier this season, the 29-year-old could be a “low-cost special teams investment that provides competition (and depth) for Brashard Smith at the position”.

But our fifth name in this list is not that of a prospect. Instead, it’s about one player whom the Chiefs already explored, but were left unimpressed.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a big promise back when the Chiefs burned a first-round pick on him in 2020. But five years later, he’s walking away from Kansas City for the second time. Though he recorded 448 rushing attempts over 1,858 yards, with 12 rushing and seven receiving touchdowns, injuries and availability issues in the seasons that followed led the Chiefs to decline his fifth-year option. He battled PTSD and cyclic vomiting syndrome, spending most of 2024 on reserve/non-football illness before his December release. He then tried to make a wave with the New Orleans Saints, but that didn’t stick either.

The Chiefs brought him back to their practice squad this season, hoping for a miracle. But just two games and 13 yards later, his Kansas City chapter officially closes with a practice squad expiration date.

Broker and Brownlee, meanwhile, filled roster gaps briefly in 2025 without making much noise. Steele, Herring, Tuipulotu, and Watson couldn’t do much of anything either. They now become casualties for a team that finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. But some of these departures cut deeper than the typical roster churn.

The running back position, for one, is a disaster that has directly hampered franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes. And Edward-Helaire’s exit only highlights it.

The running back problem for Patrick Mahomes

Both Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco hit free agency this offseason. That leaves Kansas City with zero proven backs under contract. Hunt led the way with 611 yards on 163 carries. Pacheco managed 462 yards in 13 games after missing time with an injury. Those numbers tell you everything about Kansas City’s ground game, or the lack of one.

Since Jamaal Charles’ last healthy season in 2014, the Chiefs’ leading rushers have averaged 788 yards and finished around 25th annually. Only Kareem Hunt’s 2017 rookie campaign broke that pattern.

What’s more, the Chiefs have been increasingly frugal on running backs. Across 11 seasons, their leading rushers have averaged just $1.1 million in cap hits. The repercussions were felt in 2025, and Patrick Mahomes paid the bill.

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Stacking the box was unnecessary for opposing defenses this season. They could all laser-focus on Mahomes and dare KC to run. But the Chiefs couldn’t find their footing. And this forced Mahomes into scrambling more game after game, trying to manufacture offense with his legs when the pocket collapsed around him.

Patrick Mahomes posted career highs with 422 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns this season. It sounds impressive until you realize what it means. Your franchise quarterback shouldn’t have to lean into becoming a rushing threat. Not when he’s 30-years-old with a Super Bowl legacy to protect.

Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers finally sealed it all. Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL late in the 16-13 loss that eliminated KC from playoff contention. Facing the nine-month recovery timeline, Mahomes faced the operating table as soon as he could.

No credible running game, and no protection from carrying the offense solo. The Chiefs’ decade of bargain-hunting at running back finally broke their most valuable asset. Mahomes absorbed punishment that could’ve been avoided with proper investment. Now, their offseason demands answers Kansas City should’ve found years ago.