Chiefs rookie expected to push for roster spot: ‘Most Interesting’ running back to watch.
In recent years, the Kansas City Chiefs have done an excellent job of identifying young running back talent through the draft or afterward.
Isiah Pacheco is the apparent poster child for this trend — a seventh-round pick who became a starter in 2022 — but the Chiefs’ running back room also includes UDFAs and exceptional athletes such as rugby great Louis Rees-Zammit. This puts up a tough roster battle for the job this summer.
“My roster construction that I’ve got, it’s based on what we’ve seen so far, not what I think is going to happen on August 31,” Chiefs Digest media member Matt Derrick stated on the June 23 episode of the “41 is the Mic” podcast with KSHB41 reporter Nick Jacobs. He revealed that Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Rees-Zammit, and 2023 UDFA Deneric Prince are currently on the roster as running backs.
“Deneric Prince would be the number three running back right now,” Derrick revealed. He later stated that he does not consider Rees-Zammit as a conventional running back if Pacheco and CEH are injured.
This necessitates the addition of Prince or another player to the roster. And Derrick mentioned a rookie who may challenge Prince for the RB3 position.
“Emani Bailey, however, is the most interesting guy in that room to watch,” he said of the running back position. “He is somebody that I think absolutely, during training camp, can make a push.”
“If anybody is going to overtake Prince for that spot, I think it’s Bailey,” Derrick replied.
Chiefs Training Camp Sets Up a 2-RB Battle Between Emani Bailey and Deneric Prince?
Bailey is a 5-foot-7 ball carrier from TCU. He’d be “one of only nine Power Five players to average 100+ rushing yards-per-game, and one of just three to record 70+ forced missed tackles” in 2023, as the Chiefs stated.
“He was also a viable weapon through the air, tallying 25 receptions (without a drop) for 184 yards and a touchdown,” McMullen continued, discussing the running back rivalry. “In total, the 22-year-old Bailey averaged 20.7 offensive touches-per-game last season.”
So, is it Bailey versus Prince, as Derrick mentioned?
Not exactly. The Chiefs have previously praised former Arizona Cardinals sixth-round pick Keaontay Ingram.
In addition, Carson Steele, a talented UDFA, should be considered. According to Jacobs, Steele may be used more as a fullback during the “41 is the Mic” episode, which may be a fascinating development.
Of course, Rees-Zammit will also be contending for the job of Swiss Army knife.
