KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ running game turned stale and plodding last season. The Chiefs were last in runs of 10 yards or more from their running backs with 17, the second-lowest number for any NFL team in the past 25 years.
To help fix the problem, the Chiefs turned to a seemingly unlikely source in free agency. Running back Elijah Mitchell hasn’t played since 2023 because of an injured hamstring or been consistently productive since he was a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021.
The Chiefs believed Mitchell, 26, was so good then that he was worth the risk now.
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“He’s got a little quickness and speed,” coach Andy Reid said. “He’s also got the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield or [the Chiefs can] flex him out. When he was healthy, he did a pretty good job in San Francisco.”
Mitchell is a different type of back from either of the Chiefs’ other top two, Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco. Mitchell is faster, having run the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds when he was coming out for the 2021 NFL draft. At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, he is also much different from the player he replaces on the roster, Samaje Perine.
Perine, who played mostly as a third-down back, is 235 pounds.
“I just call it adding to the room,” Mitchell said. “Whatever it takes, whatever role I get, that’s what it’s going to be for me. The things they do on offense is everything I did when I was in San Fran.”
Mitchell rushed for 963 yards and five touchdowns when he was a rookie. He rushed for 560 yards and four touchdowns while being limited to 16 games since because of injuries. He didn’t play in 2024 because of a hamstring injury.
Mitchell said he’s healthy and will be ready for full participation when the Chiefs begin offseason practice in May. As Reid suggested, Mitchell could also have an impact receiving. The role of third-down back was vacated when Perine signed as a free agent with the Cincinnati Bengals.
“When I was at San Fran, I did all the passing game stuff in practice,” Mitchell said. “Just being able to actually do it in KC, it’s going to open up a lot of things, not just for me but for the team. It’s going to be incredible.”
Hunt led the Chiefs in rushing last season with 728 yards despite not joining the Chiefs until the fourth game. But Hunt averaged just 3.6 yards per carry, the second-lowest total of his career.
Hunt didn’t participate in training camp last season and said being with the Chiefs this year through offseason practice and camp will help.
“I’m very excited because I feel like that’s going to help me in the long run, to be able to prepare my body for the long run, the long season and grind and not have to start from behind,” Hunt said.
Pacheco missed most of the regular season last year with a broken leg. He returned in time to play the final five games plus all three in the postseason but averaged only 3.4 yards per carry in those eight games.
“I think he’ll be even better this year,” Reid said. “He was forcing that thing coming back [when he did]. Most guys probably wouldn’t have come back. If you know him for a minute, you know he wasn’t going to be held back. I think we’ll get a better player this year.”
