Less than five years ago, the defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs selected running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire with the final pick of the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. On Monday, the team waived Edwards-Helaire with three games to go in the 2024 regular season.
Edwards-Helaire, 25, was averaging a career-low 3.2 yards-per-carry this season. In 15 games, he rushed for 223 yards and one touchdown on 70 carries. He added 188 receiving yards on 17 receptions.
Edwards-Helaire bid adieu to Kansas City shortly after he was released via X:
Love ya KC! A family I didn't know I needed, y'all made a Kid from Baton Rouge dreams come true! To Chiefs Kingdom, its all love and the support I had in troubling times will forever be unmatched from you guys! With love!
Edwards-Helaire was part of LSU's undefeated, national championship-winning 2019 team. He led the nation with 16 touchdown runs that year while averaging a whopping 6.6 yards-per-carry. That success led to him being the only running back taken in the first round of the following spring's NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Edwards-Helaire put up decent numbers while helping the Chiefs make a return trip to the Super Bowl. An injury hampered his production in 2021, however. In 2022, another injury and the emergence of then-rookie Isiah Pacheco led to a reduced role for Edwards-Helaire, who was inactive for Kansas City's Super Bowl win over the Eagles.
Edwards-Helaire re-signed with Kansas City this offseason after the team elected not to pick up his fifth-year option the previous offseason. He received three starts this season, including consecutive starts in Weeks 13 and 14. He amassed 169 all-purpose yards in those game that included 64 receiving yards (while catching each of his four targets) in Kansas City's Week 14 win over the Patriots.
Despite that production, the Chiefs obviously deemed Edwards-Helaire expendable, and will continue their pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl win without him.