Tag: Jerick McKinnon

Chiefs HC Andy Reid not ready to name Jerick McKinnon starter moving forward

The #Chiefs have a decision to make at the RB position moving forward in the playoffs, but Andy Reid isn’t quite ready to make it.

Kansas City Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon drew his first start with the team in the wild-card round against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite a tremendous performance in the wild-card round, Chiefs HC Andy Reid isn’t ready to commit to McKinnon as a full-time starter just yet.

McKinnon filled in for an injured Clyde Edwards-Helaire and a limited Darrel Williams in Sunday’s win over the Steelers, just as we predicted he would. He carried the ball 12 times for 61 yards and caught six passes on six targets for 81 yards and a touchdown, turning in one of the most impressive offensive performances in the game.

Asked whether McKinnon had earned the right to be the starter moving forward, regardless of who is available to play, Reid stopped short of naming him the starter. It sounds like they’ll continue to use a committee approach moving forward.

“That’s a good problem to have, so we’ll just see how it all plays out,” Reid told reporters. “Darrel (Williams) tried to go, but he was having a hard time pushing off that toe. We’re fortunate to have a number of running backs that we feel are good runners. (Derrick) Gore is another one, and then we’ll just see about Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) and what we’ll get from him.”

The Chiefs still clearly have a ton of faith in the other two players who fall ahead of McKinnon on the depth chart. Williams had 1,000 scrimmage yards this season and is one of the better pass-catching backs on the team. The team obviously has a lot invested in Edwards-Helaire and his development as well. That said, McKinnon paid his dues and showed up in a big way in an elimination game. That should buy him some good grace in the eyes of the coaching staff.

Even Patrick Mahomes gave McKinnon his endorsement following the game.

“First off, I’ve seen it from training camp on that he’s a playmaker,” Mahomes said of McKinnon. “I mean there’s a reason he’s been a playmaker in this league for the last few years here. Obviously, he’s dealt with injuries in his career, and he dealt with a little bit of injury this season, but he’s kept his mindset right, he kept working hard and I knew with some other guys kind of being down and dinged up, he would step up and fill in nicely.”

Travis Kelce, who was one of the first to celebrate with McKinnon after his touchdown grab, also had high praise for the first-year Chief.

“He just brings the energy,” Kelce said. “He runs his tail off. Every single week, every time he gets the ball he is non-stop downhill aggressive runner and that’s fun to play with. That’s fun to block for. You know you have the upper hand when you have a guy back there with his ability and talent. Sure enough, you saw it on showcase tonight. Both the run game and the pass game.”

In terms of yards per reception and yards per carry, McKinnon’s performance against the Steelers was one of the best by a Chiefs running back this season. McKinnon’s play passed the eye test too. He has the speed and explosion at the position that the team has been lacking, giving the team an option on the perimeter as well as rushing up the middle.

As Andy Reid says, a deep running back room is a good problem to have. It’s unclear how the RB snaps will shape up moving forward, but McKinnon should and likely will play a big role in the divisional round.

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Is Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon poised for a playoff breakout?

It feels like #Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon could be on a collision course for a Damien Williams-Esque playoff breakout.

The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with some injuries at the running back position heading into their wild-card round matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been ruled out with a shoulder injury, missing his third consecutive week. His backup, Darrel Williams is listed as questionable on the injury report with a toe injury. He’s looking more and more like a game-time decision after the team elevated Darwin Thompson from the practice squad, just a day after the former sixth-round draft pick re-signed with the team.

So who will the Chiefs rely on to be the lead running back should Williams not play or be limited by the toe injury? All signs point to RB Jerick McKinnon, who signed with Kansas City as a free agent this offseason. McKinnon spent the entire month of December on injured reserve, rehabbing a hamstring injury before returning to action in Week 17.

In Week 18 against the Denver Broncos, McKinnon managed eight touches for 50 yards and a receiving touchdown, the biggest offensive performance of his Chiefs career to date. He’d mostly played special teams to that point, but now McKinnon is looking like he could be a difference-maker in a time of need.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, McKinnon explained that he’s prepared for the opportunity, both mentally and physically.

“Ever since I got in the league, I’ve always prepared myself to be ready for the opportunity,” McKinnon said. “As you mentioned before, the injury was definitely a setback, but on the good side of things, I think my body actually needed it because I feel pretty good now. It’s kind of one of those bittersweet things where you definitely want to be out there helping the team and competing, but your body won’t allow you to do the most you can do is get your body right and just get prepared to come back.”

The entire situation is reminiscent of the 2019 NFL season. Damien Williams was working his way back from an injury and LeSean McCoy had taken more of a lead role for Kansas City. In Week 16 and 17, Damien began playing the majority of the snaps as McCoy also dealt with a minor injury. It led to a huge role for Damien and historic production in postseason play.

Could McKinnon be destined for the same thing?

Based on what McKinnon says, he should be able to slot in for Edwards-Helaire and Williams just fine. He feels the only difference is that he brings his own unique brand of energy that could help empower the offense.

“I think us as a room, we all collectively kind of have a lot of similarities,” McKinnon said. “The only thing I think I bring is I feed off the energy. I’m big on energy. Guys can feel that, guys can thrive off that and the other guys on offense bring it as well. Cheetah (Tyreek Hill), (Travis) Kelce, Pat (Patrick Mahomes), the whole O-Line, everybody so it’s going to be great to get out there.”

It’ll be tough to face the Steelers without Edwards-Helaire and potentially without Williams. At the same time, this is why the Chiefs prepare all of their players as if they can step in and be a starter at any given time. McKinnon should be ready to embrace any role that Kansas City needs him to play on Sunday.

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WATCH: Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon shows off spin move on first touchdown

#Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon made all the #Broncos miss on the way to the endzone for his first score with Kansas City.

The Kansas City Chiefs regained the lead to start the second half thanks to some impressive moves from Jerick McKinnon.

In his second game back from injured reserve, McKinnon got an increased workload on Saturday against the Denver Broncos. Running one of his first routes of the second half, McKinnon ran a quick swing out of the backfield and caught the pass. At first, it looked like he was going to be tackled well behind even the first down marker, but after a slick spin move and a timely jump cut, McKinnon muscled his way into the endzone.

Check out the play down below:

This marked the first touchdown for McKinnon during his Chiefs career after signing a one-year deal with the team in the offseason. The backfield for Kansas City has emerged as a strength as of late, even without starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The current trio of McKinnon, Darrel Williams and Derrick Gore has been an effective three-headed monster in the interim and the game today is proving that much.

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Chiefs rule out RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, activate RB Jerick McKinnon from IR

The #Chiefs won’t have RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in Week 17 vs. #Bengals, but they’ll return RB Jerick McKinnon to the 53-man roster from injured reserve.

The Kansas City Chiefs have figured out how they’ll handle the running back position this weekend in Cincinnati.

On Friday, Chiefs HC Andy Reid wouldn’t formally rule out RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire despite his status as a non-participant in practice all week with a shoulder contusion. Reid said that Edwards-Helaire was close, but not quite close enough to practice. A day later, the team officially declared Edwards-Helaire out for the game, taking a better safe than sorry approach with their top running back.

That puts RBs Darrel Williams and Derrick Gore in line for the majority of the snaps at the position in Week 17, but the team will also return another RB from injured reserve.

The team designated RB Jerick McKinnon to return from IR earlier in the practice week. In light of the news regarding, Edwards-Helaire the team has opted to activate McKinnon to the 53-man roster from injured reserve. He was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury following the Week 11 game against the Cowboys.

McKinnon hasn’t had the most productive season on offense, with just seven carries for 38 yards and 10 receptions for 81 yards in 11 games played this season. One area where he will certainly help the Chiefs is on passing downs. He’s been one of the better backs in pass-pro for Kansas City this season.

Should the Chiefs clinch the No. 1 seed this week, expect the team to shut down Edwards-Helaire until the playoffs and roll with the trio of Williams, Gore and McKinnon.

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Chiefs designate RB Jerick McKinnon to return from injured reserve

#Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon was back at practice on Wednesday, as the team designated him to return from injured reserve, opening his 21-day practice window.

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting a boost to their running back room at the perfect time.

As Andy Reid suggested following Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s shoulder injury, the Chiefs have formally designated RB Jerick McKinnon to return from injured reserve per the NFL’s Wednesday personnel notice. McKinnon suffered a hamstring injury during the opening kickoff of the Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys and was placed on injured reserve the following week along with DT Khalen Saunders.

Players who are designated to return remain on the injured reserve list until they’re activated to the 53-man roster. McKinnon will have a three-week practice window during which the Chiefs can decide to activate him or leave him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.

In 11 games played this season, McKinnon has seven carries for 38 yards and 10 receptions for 81 yards. He’s seen the majority of his playing time on special teams, but he had his two most productive games on offense prior to his injury against the Cowboys.

Should Edwards-Helaire miss time with his shoulder injury, Darrel Williams and Derrick Gore would likely get most of the work. That said, it certainly wouldn’t hurt if Kansas City were able to return McKinnon this week. He’s been one of the better pass-blocking backs for the Chiefs this season and could easily resume that role should he return healthy.

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Chiefs place RB Jerick McKinnon, DT Khalen Saunders on injured reserve list

The #Chiefs sent a pair of players to injured reserve on Tuesday, ensuring they’ll be out for the upcoming three-game stretch against AFC West opponents.

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After a week off for the bye week, the Kansas City Chiefs have sent a pair of players to the injured reserve list.

According to the NFL’s official personnel notice both RB Jerick McKinnon and DT Khalen Saunders have been placed on injured reserve. Their placement on the list seems to stem from injuries suffered during the course of the season.

McKinnon suffered a hamstring injury in the opening kickoff of the Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys. He was eventually ruled out of that game and was scheduled to have an MRI the following week. The results of that MRI were enough to land McKinnon on injured reserve. He’ll have to stay on the injured reserve list for a minimum of three weeks, missing the next three games against the Broncos, Raiders and Chargers before he can return.

As for Saunders, he’s been dealing with a knee injury suffered in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. He’s been assumed to be a healthy scratch during weeks 8 through 11, but it appears he’s actually been dealing with that injury as well. He’ll also spend a minimum of three weeks on the injured reserve list for Kansas City.

Both McKinnon and Saunders will be missed while they’re absent. McKinnon was especially starting to come on in pass protection for the team in recent weeks when Clyde Edwards-Helaire was absent.

The Chiefs needed to open up at least one roster space for the return of Kyle Long and Marcus Kemp, but these two transactions also mean that Kansas City should have an extra spot on the 53-man roster. This signals that the team could be preparing to activate OL Mike Remmers from injured reserve or rookie DE Joshua Kaindoh. It’s possible they open up the practice window for one of these players later in the week and see how they do before making their decision.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid provides injury updates after win over Cowboys

2 #Chiefs players are due for MRIs to determine the extent of their injuries following the Week 11 win over the #Cowboys per Andy Reid.

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The Kansas City Chiefs suffered two injuries during their Week 11 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Andy Reid spoke to the media after the game providing his usual update on injured players to start his press conference. He began by talking about RB Jerick McKinnon, who was ruled questionable to return to the game with a hamstring injury. He was later ruled out of the game, and tomorrow he’s expected to undergo tests to evaluate his injury.

“As far as the injuries go, McKinnon hurt his hamstring,” Reid told reporters. “So he came out and we’ll just see. We’ll get him an MRI and check it out.”

The Chiefs just got Clyde Edwards-Helaire back from injured reserve this week after he rehabbed an MCL sprain suffered back in Week 5. Any significant injury to McKinnon could mean that Derrick Gore remains on the 53-man roster for Kansas City for the time being. Gore was a healthy scratch with the return of Edwards-Helaire on Sunday.

As for the other injury, Chiefs starting right CB Rashad Fenton went down late in the game, crawling to the sideline after making a tackle on Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott.

“Then, Fenton, he landed on his knee,” Reid said. “And we’ve just got to —we’ll get an MRI on that tomorrow.”

Fenton has emerged as one of the better coverage players on the Kansas City defense in recent weeks. Entering Week 11, Fenton was the top-ranked cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. Losing him for any stretch of time would be tough for the team. He replaced Mike Hughes, really, starting back in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans.

Thankfully, the Chiefs have a bye week in Week 12, so they’ll have a chance to get a bit healthier over the next seven days as they prepare for the final stretch of the 2021 NFL season.

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Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon questionable to return with hamstring injury

#Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon is questionable to return vs. the #Cowboys with a hamstring injury.

The Kansas City Chiefs could be shorthanded at the running back position against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11.

Shortly after the start of the game, the Chiefs ruled RB Jerick McKinnon questionable to return with a hamstring injury. McKinnon hasn’t played any snaps on offense, but he plays on the kick and punt coverage teams. It seems that he pulled up with a hamstring injury on one of those plays.

The Chiefs only have three running backs active on Sunday, with Clyde Edwards-Helaire returning to the lineup from an MCL sprain that has kept him out since Week 5. Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams have shared most of the repetitions in the backfield for Kansas City, but it’s unclear if Edwards-Helaire can handle a full load of work. Derrick Gore was made inactive due to the return of Edwards-Helaire.

If the Chiefs run into any more injuries at the running back position they could find themselves in a bit of a pickle. They have fullback Michael Burton active and they might need to rely on him, Tyreek Hill or perhaps even Travis Kelce for some snaps out of the backfield. Kelce, of course, already scored one rushing touchdown in the game.

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Chiefs confident in RBs Darrel Williams, Jerick McKinnon after Clyde Edwards-Helaire injury

How will #Chiefs handle the Clyde Edwards-Helaire injury? “We’ve got 31 (Darrel Williams) and 1 (Jerick McKinnon), they’re good players,” Andy Reid said.

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The Kansas City Chiefs will be without RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire for three weeks as he recovers from an MCL sprain on the injured reserve list.

It’s a tough blow to lose Edwards-Helaire now, especially when he was just starting to get hot with back-to-back 100-yard performances in Week 3 and Week 4. Asked about the plan at the running back position, Chiefs HC Andy Reid wasted no time, evoking the “next man up” mentality that he’s utilized over the years.

Reid gave a vote of confidence to the rest of his running back room, saying they’ll be able to handle the load in the absence of Edwards-Helaire.

“We’ve got 31 (Darrel Williams) and 1 (Jerick McKinnon), they’re good players,” Reid said. “We can put (Derrick) Gore up too. He was productive during the preseason, so we have the possibility of doing that. But we have trust in the other two guys, in particular Darrel. He’s been productive for a number of years here.”

Williams, a fourth-year veteran and the longest-tenured running back on the Chiefs roster, will be the first man up in place of Edwards-Helaire. Williams joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of LSU in 2018. He has never started a regular-season game during his NFL career, but he did fill in for Edwards-Helaire during playoffs last season, earning his first career start against the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round. Williams carried the ball 13 times for 78 yards and caught 4-of-4 passes for 16 yards, for what was the second-most productive game of his career.

While Williams has never rushed for over 100 yards in a single game, he’s eager for an opportunity to prove that he can be a bell-cow back for Kansas City over the next few weeks.

“That would mean a lot to me because I worked my whole life to be a starter in the league, and I finally get this chance,” Williams said. “I finally get this opportunity, and I’ve just got to make the most of it.”

Spelling Williams will be Jerick McKinnon, who started 18 games during his career with the majority of those games coming during his four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He has seldom been used in the running game by Kansas City this season, recording just one carry last week against Buffalo. He has, however, caught three passes on three targets for 27 yards.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes shared his head coach’s confidence that both Williams and McKinnon will step up in the absence of their teammate. He knows it’s in their DNA to do so.

“I think it’s just that they’ve done it before,” Mahomes told reporters of his confidence in the halfback duo. “You’ve seen these guys. Darrel (Williams) has stepped up in big spots his whole career here filling in and running strong and running tough. If you watch Jerick McKinnon’s career, he’s been a guy who’s made plays in a lot of different spots. I have trust that he’ll come in here and make plays here as well.”

There’s also Derrick Gore, the preseason standout who had 168 yards of total offense and a touchdown in the preseason. He was elevated to the 53-man roster when Edwards-Helaire was sent to injured reserve. He’ll serve as depth for now, but should he get his chance to play, watch out.

However the snaps shake out in Week 6, the Chiefs are confident that they have three capable backs who can weather the storm. They’ll lean on those players to make plays while Edwards-Helaire gets his knee right over the next three weeks.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid impressed by Jerick McKinnon’s speed, receiving ability

“He’s got that quickness and speed, and it’s a good change-up.” – #Chiefs HC Andy Reid on RB Jerick McKinnon

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The Kansas City Chiefs have a new face in the backfield and he’s making an impression on some of the most important people in the building.

A day after Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes lauded new RB Jerick McKinnon as a “playmaker” for the offense, HC Andy Reid weighed in on his newest weapon. After just a few months with the team, Reid had some positive things to say about McKinnon.

Reid’s offense has always been known for throwing the ball to their running backs often. Of course, McKinnon’s receiving ability is something that has caught his attention during training camp.

“He’s a talented receiver,” Reid told reporters on Saturday. “He’s been doing this for a long time, especially for running backs, longevity in this league, the average longevity is like three years. So, for him to have been in it and doing it this long, he brings great experience. But he sure has a knack for the pass game. He does a nice job with that.”

McKinnon, 29, spent four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings before signing a four-year contract worth $30 million with the San Francisco 49ers. He suffered a torn ACL ahead of the 2018 NFL season and the injury ultimately cost him two seasons. In 2020, he didn’t seem to have the quickness that he had with the Vikings. A year later, he seems fully recovered from his knee injury. Reid even praised his brand of speed as “different.”

“His (speed) is (different), he’s quick,” Reid said. “He’s got that quickness and speed, and it’s a good change-up. We’ve got a variety of guys, and (Darwin) Thompson’s not out here yet, so you add him into the mix and now you’ve got another variety of running backs that you can present. But it’s great to have his experience here, yeah.”

It sure sounds like Reid is already planning to utilize the speed and quickness that McKinnon offers. If he continues to impress, McKinnon could certainly earn the role on the 53-man roster as a change-of-pace option to Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Darrel Williams.

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