There is a storm brewing in the Kansas City Chiefs’ backfield.
Chiefs RB Le’Veon Bell is likely to make his debut with his new team in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos. He’ll join standout rookie RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the backfield giving the Chiefs a two-headed rushing attack.
The decision to bring in Bell is reminiscent of the New York Giants’ decision to draft Ron Dayne in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. They already had an established player at the position in Tiki Barber. The bruising 255-pound Dayne brought an entirely different skill set compared to Barber, creating a dynamic backfield combination appropriately dubbed “thunder and lightning.”
Now, Kansas City has its own “thunder and lightning” duo in the backfield according to Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
“He gives us an additional piece to the puzzle,” Bieniemy told reporters of Bell on Thursday. “I mean, he’s a big back, his productivity over the years speaks for itself. Because we’ve lined up and played him when he had those days in Pittsburgh, we know what he can do and we know what he brings to the table. He’s a great receiver out of the backfield, he can block, he can pick up blitzes in protection, and on top of that, as a ball carrier, at one point in time he was one of the elite backs in the league. Now, what he can bring to the table here, obviously he gives 25 (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) a complement because now you’ve got a little bit of thunder and lightning going on with those two, but the thing is he’s going to help 25 to become a better football player due to all the knowledge that he has and the wisdom he can pass down to him.”
The Chiefs are hoping that a fresh start with their team, working in a timeshare with Edwards-Helaire, that Bell can get back to the elite level of play that he was known for in Pittsburgh. They know that the skill set that he can provide will be the ultimate complement to Edwards-Helaire and the rest of the running back room.
Bell already has already worked to forge a healthy relationship with the rookie Edwards-Helaire. Prior to his decision to join Kansas City, he reached out to Edwards-Helaire to make sure he wouldn’t be stepping on any toes by signing with the team.
As for what Bell will bring to the football field, RB coach Deland McCullough had some thoughts to add.
“He brings a veteran who has gotten it done at a high level in this league,” McCullough said. “Clearly, he still has some juice in the tank, very smart, he’s been real influential with just having conversations with Clyde (Edwards-Helaire) as well as the room on just his experience. Not just being an experienced guy but a guy who can go out and do some things for us. Route running, hands, juice through the hole, leg drive, vision, just some of the things I’ve seen in the past couple of days have been real impressive to me, primarily his attitude number one and number two his ability to learn.”
In 2000, Dayne and Barber combined for over 1,700 yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. Of course, they had a full season of working together and they played in a different era. However, there’s obviously some hope that Bell and Edwards-Helaire can have a similar combined impact in Kansas City.
There was a renewed emphasis on running the ball for the Chiefs in Week 6. If that renewed emphasis holds, there’s no reason why both Bell and Edwards-Helaire won’t be able to put their skills on display in a way that is entirely unfamiliar for an offense predominantly known for their passing attack. But if defenses keep selling out to stop the passing game, it could also prove pivotal to have a diverse rushing attack.
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