Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs have a running back problem, but a good one

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Oct 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Spencer Ware (32) carries the ball against the Oakland Raiders during the third quarter at Oakland Coliseum. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders 26-10. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday’s win proved that Kansas City needs to rely on the running game in 2016. But how will they do so with Jamaal Charles, Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West all producing?

Last week, I wrote that the Chiefs needed to make the usage of Jamaal Charles a priority in the running game. But after what happened in the backfield during Sunday’s win at Oakland, there are some questions floating around my head.

Spencer Ware has been really good as Charles’ replacement in 2016. Ware’s averaging 5.3 yards per carry so far this year; that’s good for fourth in the NFL. So as Charles nears full health, which still may be a while, how will Andy Reid manage the backfield?

There are a few different ways that the Chiefs can handle the running back situation moving forward.

When Charles comes back and regains his full strength, Reid could give him (Charles) at least 75 percent of the offensive snaps at running back. When Charles is at his best, there’s not much arguing this scenario.

In this case, Ware could supplement Charles on third down or when he needs a break. Charles makes an excellent third down back, though. He is a great pass-blocker and is a weapon in the passing game. That makes it hard to take him off the field at any point. In 2013 and 2014, Charles caught seven and five touchdown passes, respectively.

Here’s a second option for the Chiefs: Charles and Ware could share more of the workload in the backfield, with Charles getting about 60 percent of the snaps and Ware 40 percent.

Oct 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) celebrates scoring a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders during the second quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

When thinking about the future of the running back position, there are a few things that have to be on the mind of Chiefs GM John Dorsey: the age of Charles (29) and his contract situation. No. 25 is no doubt a tremendously talented athlete and still a top five or 10 running back in the league, but he is getting up there in age and is coming off his second ACL injury.

Looking ahead, Charles is a free agent in 2018. A lot can happen between now and then, but let’s say that the Chiefs decide to part ways with Charles after this season or next. Wouldn’t it be nice if the running back that eventually replaces Charles is familiar with the Chiefs offensive system? See: Ware and Charcandrick West.

That brings me to the third realistic option that Reid and the staff could employ: utilize all three running backs as they did in Oakland. Ware carried the ball 24 times for 131 yards. Charles ran the ball nine times for 33 yards and West three times for 19 yards. All three scored an individual touchdown.

The Chiefs’ identity throughout the rest of 2016 will be the running game. We thought that maybe Alex Smith could take a leap this year and become a next-level quarterback, but after five games it doesn’t look like that will happen.

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If Reid and the coaching staff used a similar strategy to the one they used Sunday, most would agree that the carries between Charles and Ware should be flipped. But the argument could be made the Ware deserves a healthy amount of carries to compliment Charles.

Obviously game plans evolve throughout the course of an individual game. If the Chiefs get behind early, as they did in Pittsburgh, there won’t be much of a rushing attack. That doesn’t mean the Chiefs can’t plan to pound the ball on the ground.

Four out of the five next opponents for the Chiefs are giving up at least an average of 100 rushing yards per game. The opportunity is there for the team to build on their momentum that they’ve created in the running game on offense.

After the trade Tuesday with Green Bay that sent Knile Davis packing up north, the Chiefs have three solid running backs to rely on. At any moment, they can be called upon to make a play.

Until Charles regains full strength, expect to see an attack that involves healthy dosages of all three running backs. But once we see Charles at 100 percent, it remains to be seen how the Chiefs will handle the problem in the backfield.

But hey, at least it’s a good problem.

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