Kansas City Chiefs Phillip Maxwell

Chiefs: My Free Agency and Draft Running Back Wish List

LadnerMorse February 14, 2019 No Comments

 

 

 

 

 

Chiefs: My Free Agency and

Draft Running Back Wish List

 

by Phillip Maxwell | February 15, 2019

 

Please help me welcome ArrowheadOne’s newest writer, Phillip Maxwell. Phillip has been a regular contributor here at ArrowheadOne on Disqus for years now and has decided to cross that thin red line and actually put his opinions out there. Thank you Phillip for taking the plunge! Enjoy… and Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. -Laddie Morse

 

 

Rushing After FA Tevin Coleman

 

I’m sure you know of Deland McCullough, he’s currently the Running Back’s coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to that, he spent time as a college RB coach for not only USC in Los Angeles but, also as the RB coach for Indiana University. Guess who Deland coached during his time as a Running Back’s coach at Indiana? You guessed it, RB Tevin Coleman.

 

Tevin Coleman is a RB for the Atlanta Falcons and is due to hit free agency come this March. 

 

In Coleman’s junior year at Indiana University, he opened with a 247 yard 2TD performance and followed that performance with a 190 yard and 3 TDs. A very impressive day. It gets better… he ended his junior year with 2,036 rushing yards breaking the schools single season record, adding 15 rushing TDs. Coleman finished 7th in the 2014 Heisman Trophy voting receiving 2 first place votes.

 

He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons at #73 in the 2015 NFL Draft. Here is where it gets interesting. The Atlanta Falcons had just drafted Devonta Freeman the year before in the 2014 NFL Draft, Chief fans might remember that RB who put up two TDs against them when they traveled to Atlanta during the 2016 season.  The Falcons, impressed with Freeman, their other back, signed him to a 5-year $41.25 Million dollar deal on August 9, 2017 making him the highest paid RB in the game. A groin injury in 2018 sidelined Freeman opening the door for Coleman and he didn’t disappoint.

 

Why is this important you ask? I’ll tell you.

No way in Hades can the Atlanta Falcons afford to keep both Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman on the 2019 roster, especially after dishing out such a lucrative deal to Freeman. Coleman is going to hit the market in March and draw plenty of attention.

 

The Theory Being…

With Coleman’s connection to Deland McCullough — the Chiefs RB coach — paired with the possible desire to have the league’s MVP Patrick Mahomes handing the ball off to him… along come Super Bowl aspirations. I could totally see Coleman looking for a home in Kansas City. The kid is the real deal with the only thing that has held him back being Devonta Freeman, who was drafted the year before him. Take a look.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do either of those plays remind you of an Andy Reid schemed play? What do say Chief fans, should the Chiefs consider bringing Coleman in for a look?

 

 

 

The Importance of Being Earnest at Running Back

It would be an understatement to say the Chiefs have a rich history at the RB position. It almost seems that the phrases “Kansas City Chiefs” and “Great RB’s” are paired synonymously. Greats such as Joe Delaney, Ed  Podolak, Marcus Allen, Larry Johnson, Jamaal Charles, and of course Priest Holmes — 76 TDs on 1,321 attempts — that’s just unreal. Then consider HBs Abner Haynes and Mike Garrett — a Heisman Trophy winner — as well as FB Christian Okoye. Suffice it to say, the Chiefs have enjoyed and relied on a powerful backfield.

 

 

The loss of RB Kareem Hunt was a devastating blow to the Chiefs. In Patrick Mahomes own words, the entire offense runs through Kareem: and I’m paraphrasing. In chess, if you lose your Queen, you are finished, done, defeated. In 2018 — excluding Mahomes, of course — Kareem was the most important figure on the offensive side of the ball. He was that most important piece. Frankly, it’s nearly a miracle that the Chiefs almost advanced to the Super Bowl with that kind of hit to their offense and it speaks volumes about QB Patrick Mahomes’ ability to put the team on his shoulders.

 

Spencer Ware and especially Damien Williams stepped in gallantly in Hunt’s absence. They kept the ship from sinking but, their abilities, although very good, are just a shell of what Chiefs fans have come to expect from the RB position. They are formidable, but not in the same category as the aforementioned group of running backs listed above.

 

This April’s 2019 NFL Draft is most likely going to focus on defense and deservedly so.  However, I think GM Brett Veach should never stop looking for that next great Chiefs RB and should not consider waiting too long before pulling the trigger. Unless Veach is willing to move up in the draft to go after a RB… which I’m sure he isn’t… guys like Josh Jacobs and Damien Harris will be off the table. So, here are a couple of players I think the Chiefs should keep an eye on and consider if available in the later rounds.

 

Wish List #1: RB Benny Snell Jr.

Pegged as a natural, Snell is quick and elusive with good hands, although there are some doubts he could possess the ability to break free from defenders in the passing game: enter Reid’s system. He is a physical runner who hits the hole quickly and has good instincts. Could be a good addition to the Chiefs backfield. BleacherReport said this about Snell in November:

 

“Benny Snell Jr. enjoyed a tremendous start to the 2018 campaign, leading Kentucky to a surprising 7-1 record. Along the way, he reached 165 yards three times—including 165 with four touchdowns when the Wildcats dismantled Mississippi State…. the junior has notched his third consecutive 1,000-yard season.”

 

 

Benny Snell is Kentucky’s all time TD leader with 48 TDs (in three seasons).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wish List #2: RB Devin Singletary

Depending on who you ask, some believe that the 5-foot-9, 200 lb. Devin Singletary, of Florida Atlantic, to be the best Running Back in this draft. Although amazingly, most projections have him as a late 2nd to mid 3rd round choice. He is a complete back in every sense of the word: good feet, good balance, quick and hard hitting. If this kid is still there in the later rounds, defensive needs aside, I don’t know how you could pass on him. He finished his college career with 4,287 yards rushing (in three seasons, he’s a junior) along with 66 TDs. He also had 397 receiving yards. Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports says of Singletary:

 

“Singletary has it all. Really. He’s a light-footed, hard-nosed runner with top-level burst and downfield speed. He has upper-level balance when absorbing contact or when he has to make a variety of cuts to get through a running lane. Singletary is electric in space and can be efficient between the tackles.”

 

 

 

Excellent read by Singletary on this TD (watch the end of this one to see what he sees).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loved the announcer’s comment here: “You talk about the “vision”… Lane Kiffin told us that he [Singletary] sees cuts before they actually open.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have no idea if one of these guys could be the next great Chiefs running back, but I think we should be looking.

 

Phillip Maxwell — ArrowheadOne

 

 

 

 

 

 

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