FanPost

Fates of the running backs that will lineup behind Charles

Jamaal Charles is the main man running the show out of the backfield, his presence of hitting the gaps in on slants patterns or seams up the middle makes Charles the best complimentary running back in the NFL, no one does what he does when firing at all cylinders. His predecessors like Knile Davis, Cyrus Gray, Joe McKnight or yes when used De’Anthony Thomas are young, upcoming weapons that has a chance to heighten the depth charts of the ground attack.


Knile Davis, the more experienced and proven tailback has helped carry the load evenly throughout the four preseason games. Shown late last year in the 2013 playoff game, at Indianapolis, Davis was forced to take charge immediately following Charles’ initial concussion early in the AFC Wild Card game. 70 carries for 242 rushing yards was Davis’ stat line for 2013. By working on his durability this offseason while becoming tough with the football in between the tackles has help furnished him into a more complete player in only his 2nd NFL season. Speed, definitely won’t be a missed factor in Davis’ game. This kid can hit the gaps just as well as anyone, only a matter of time until he breaks loose.

When talking about guys waiting their turn for playing time, Cyrus Gray is one that has been yearning for playing time his entire career. More compact, a grit guy that has a knack to weave his way through the teeth of defenses is still trying to overcome his biggest bugaboos, fumbling. Gray split time as part of the special teams group in returning kickoffs and punts for minimal gains to aid his carries on the ground. As of late, the recent upswing in production has garnered confidence in the coaching staff to annex him into the 53 man roster which will be finalized August 30th.


The last guy on this list is labeled as a conceivable dark horse pick and an outside shot to not only make the final roster cut but to administer himself as a reliable spot in the offense. Joe McKnight is the odd man out in a few categories. A trooper in the sense of already transferring a strong character role to the team, is currently 26 and is looking to jump start his overall stagnant career. Kind’ve fits the Jackie Battle mold in itself, that can change very quickly. McKnight scraped for a rushing touchdown tonight at Green Bay, barring time where he was the lone man in the backfield may seem not as a big deal but can help confidence and moral to this type of a player in an instant.

Overall, the running game from Charles down has closed the gap drastically. Makes the Chiefs able to use more options to show defenses without prohibiting formation changes more comfortable. With the 2014 preseason behind us now, the reserve guys can now try to separate themselves early before final roster moves determine their fates.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.