The Kansas City Chiefs are about to have their running back depth be seriously tested. Isiah Pacheco is out with a fractured fibula, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on the reserve/non-football illness list.
Edwards-Heliare has yet to play this season, but it’s not because he’s been dealing with an injury.
Let’s look at why Edwards-Helaire hasn’t played yet this season and when he could return.
When Is Clyde Edwards-Helaire Expected To Return?
Edwards-Helaire will be out for the first four games of the season before he’s eligible to return. He’s on the reserve/non-football illness list as he copes with battling post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The former first-round pick out of LSU shared his battle with PTSD earlier in training camp this season, where he missed several practices and wasn’t with the team when they started preparing for their season-opener with the Baltimore Ravens.
In a story on ESPN earlier during training camp, Edwards-Heliare said he experiences dehydration and mentally not being present when experiencing PTSD. During those experiences, he says he is sometimes admitted to the hospital or can’t stop throwing up.
Edwards-Heliaire says much of his PTSD stems from a self-defense situation when he was at LSU just three days before Christmas in 2018. He played three seasons of college football in Baton Rouge, becoming a valuable member of LSU’s historic offense in 2019.
While everybody remembers Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson, Edwards-Helaire was just as good on that 2019 LSU team. He had 1,414 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns in LSU’s national championship season.
It’s worth noting the fifth-year running back has seen his numbers decrease in carries and yards in each of his first four seasons with the Chiefs. Much of that, though, can be attributed to the Chiefs drafting and developing Pacheco the last two seasons.
A Week 5 return could be timely for Edwards-Helaire, with the Chiefs on their bye week in Week 6. The Chiefs host the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football in Week 5.
CEH FOR SIX. Chiefs lead 21-13.
📺: #KCvsSF on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/USkaudAkBK pic.twitter.com/Z98CYLCM4A— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
The Chiefs have two other running backs on their 53-man roster, and they will see a lot of action for at least the next two weeks.
Samaje Perine, who has been in the NFL since 2017, has 1,830 yards and eight rushing touchdowns through his first seven seasons. He caught a 41-yard touchdown reception against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game while with the Bengals.
Carson Steele is an undrafted free agent out of UCLA. A strong training camp and preseason helped him earn a spot on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster. He’s carried the ball nine times through two games for 27 yards, including four first downs.