Just when Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire seemed to get his feet under him, an injury would knock him down.
He would always come back — as fast as he could. But eventually, the frustration of missing seven games last season — after missing three his rookie year — might have been more difficult to deal with than the injuries themselves.
“It was really the timing of it,” Edwards-Helaire said during OTAs. “You could pinpoint games where you’d say, ‘He’s getting a head of steam and he’s about to start rolling.’”
Last year, Edwards-Helaire rushed for 100 yards in Weeks 3 and 4 against the Chargers and Eagles only to sprain his MCL the following week against the Bills. Edwards-Helaire missed the next five games but came back and rushed for 213 yards and scored four touchdowns in his next five games before going down with a shoulder injury the day after Christmas against the Steelers.
Edwards-Helaire missed the last two games of the regular season and didn’t play in the Wild Card game against the Steelers. And when he returned, he was limited. In the playoffs against the Bills and Bengals, he had 13 carries for 96 yards combined.
This offseason, after Edwards-Helaire gained 1,000 yards from scrimmage as a rookie and started in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs shook up the running back room. They let Darrel Williams leave in free agency, brought in veteran Ronald Jones, drafted former Rutgers star Isiah Pacheco in the seventh round and brought back Jerick McKinnon on a one-year deal.
“Clyde knows,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “I tell the guys we’re going to try to bring in as much competition. That’s what (GM) Brett (Veach) does and that’s what makes you better. And you don’t look over your shoulder — just full steam ahead. Just work on your game. There’s going to be competition and just maximize what you can do, and you don’t have to worry about anything else.”
After Pacheco was drafted, Edwards-Helaire reached out to him and wished him well like a good teammate would.
“Same thing happened to me,” Edwards-Helaire said. “That’s the NFL. That’s the world we live in. Every year there’s going to be somebody getting drafted whether it’s your position or another position.”
Last offseason, however, Edwards-Helaire also was coming off gallbladder surgery that took place after the Super Bowl. He said he had four incisions in his stomach and his weight fluctuated.
“It was something I didn’t need to spew out to the media, but it was something I was able to conquer every week,” Edwards-Helaire said. “I got four incisions in my stomach then I was able to come out here and did fall camp without a hiccup. It’s one of those things mentally where if you tell yourself you can do it, you can do it.”
Edwards-Helaire said he his healthy now and has enjoyed getting to know his new teammates. Edwards-Helaire was one of several players who went to Texas for a few weeks early in the offseason to take part in a series of workouts with Patrick Mahomes. They spent a good portion working on pass routes.
“Timing, getting timing down with Pat,” Edwards-Helaire said. “I was able to meet people. That’s what you want to do. You don’t want to go out here the first time meeting a guy and you got pads and helmets on and there’s nothing connecting you.”
For now, injuries and potential connect Edwards-Helaire. But he hopes to change that this season into something more.
“There’s always a sense of urgency for me,” Edwards-Helaire said. “That’s just what it is. Being able to do the things that I did — starting at running back as a rookie, playing in a Super Bowl and then really just battling injuries last year.
“I feel like I bring that intensity, and as far as being a professional, as far as the offseason and coming into the season, I do everything I need to.”