The Kansas City Chiefs added LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but if you’re expecting him to come in and immediately become a bell-cow, you’re probably going to end up disappointed.
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is uniquely situated to speak on the running back room as a former running backs coach for the Chiefs. When Bieniemy spoke to the media on Tuesday, he began by praising the evaluators for finding a player with Edwards-Helaire’s character and work ethic.
“One thing is, Veach and his entire staff did a great job of evaluating the kid,” Bieniemy began. “Collectively as a coaching staff, we felt we did a great job of evaluating the talent. But on top of that — and I think this is more important than anything — we know the person. We know one thing that the kid is going to do. He’s going to come in and work his tail off.”
Bieniemy quickly shifted gears to focus on Edwards-Helaire’s role within the running back group. Right now, it seems they’re focused on getting him coached up, not only by the coaching staff but the veteran players on the team. This isn’t shaping up to be a one-man show, but rather another running back by committee situation in the 2020 NFL season.
“He’s just going to be a piece of the puzzle,” Bieniemy explained of Edwards-Helaire. “You’ve got Damien Williams who did a hell of a job for us last year. He’s also going to have an opportunity to play with one of his former teammates [Darrel Williams]. Then we have Darwin [Thompson]. Then we have the young kid who played with the Oakland Raiders in DeAndre Washington. So we have a unique situation, where he can come in and have an opportunity to learn from a collective group. But also, we want to make sure we’re utilizing him the right way and making sure that he is mentally prepared to go when it is time to go.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Edwards-Helaire and other rookies are in a unique situation where they’re missing out on physical and mental repetitions. Some of those learning moments from teammates will be critical in Edwards-Helaire’s ability to make up for lost practice time.
Bieniemy cites what Edwards-Helaire does on the football field as special. He also notes that Edwards-Helaire has some of the special intangible traits that make up a professional in this game. Those will perhaps help him see the field more quickly than others would.
“I think the kid is just a special kid,” Bieniemy said. “You’ve seen the things we’ve done on tape as far as running the ball, having the ability to get outside in the open field and make some plays as a receiver. You can create matchups with him. He’s one of those ideal kids that fit in what we do. So having him as a part of the puzzle, think about it. He gets to go out there and play with Pat Mahomes, Travis Kelce. He gets an opportunity to learn from Damien Williams. He gets the opportunity to learn from DeAndre Washinton. He gets an opportunity to play with Sammy Watkins and all those guys. So I think with his talent, and also his attitude, his determined mindset and the professionalism that he brings to the organization, I think that’s going to help him to be even better. I think the kid has got some special traits, but I also believe that our players are going to help him to grow to become even more of a special contributor when it is all said and done with.”
At the end of the day, the thing which will help Edwards-Helaire see the field most quickly is his ability to pick up the protection schemes. We saw it last season with veteran RB LeSean McCoy, you need to understand the protection calls in order to see the field.
If Edwards-Helaire can help block and protect Patrick Mahomes, he’ll be utilized much more often early on in his career.
“We’ve had this discussion with him,” Bieniemy said about Edwards-Helaire and pass protection. “And you know what, sometimes you see college kids. Sometimes you see them put some good stuff on tape, sometimes you see them put some poor stuff on tape. The thing that we do know is that he does have the willingness to block and he understands that’s a huge asset that’s going to help him to get him on the field. One thing I will say, he does have the attitude and mindset to get it done. So I’m not concerned with that, Coach Deland [McCullough] is going to do a great job of making sure that he is physically prepared to get that done.”
Pass protection is one thing that Edwards-Helaire previously talked about as an area he sought to improve during the 2019 season at LSU, so you’ve already seen the willingness to learn and get better. So long as he keeps that attitude and mindset as Bieniemy claims he has, he’ll get better in that area in the NFL. During this unique offseason, however, it’s hard to tell if that will be enough to help Edwards-Helaire get on the field often as a rookie.
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