For all the Kansas City Chiefs' exciting moments in their recent dynasty, the one that took a slight detour in 2025, they've lacked one thing most of the way: a true star running back.
This offseason might finally be the time the Chiefs need to change that.
They just went 6-11, and Patrick Mahomes' health status has some uncertainty due to his late-season torn ACL. A running back addition seems like a necessity.
Some are pointing to the draft for the Chiefs as a landing spot for Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, although there's no guarantee that he makes it to them at the No. 9 pick, or that he's the guy the Chiefs want, anyway.
Some free agent links have involved the Jets' Breece Hall or the Seahawks' Kenneth Walker.
But a new one emerged on Tuesday in a new article from ESPN's Matt Bowen. He writes that the Chiefs are the best fit for free agent RB Travis Etienne from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
"Etienne has the play speed to upgrade a Chiefs run game that ranked 25th last season (106.6 yards per game)," Bowen writes. "And with his dual-threat ability as a pass catcher, Etienne would be schemed on screens and backfield releases in coach Andy Reid's system. This is a move to add more juice and big-play ability to the Kansas City offense. Etienne's 26 rushes of 10 or more yards were tied for the 12th most in the NFL last season."
Maybe the biggest piece of Etienne's fit is that he is a dual-threat player, like Bowen wrote. The Chiefs have had a bunch of different RBs fill a bunch of different roles in recent years. It makes everything a bit more predictable for a defense when a certain back can only do certain things.
Etienne would remove that limitation for returned offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. The former Jags star could be on the field for any kind of play, and that opens up the whole playbook at any time.
Hall from the Jets is a lot like Etienne in that way, so both could certainly work out nicely. But if Hall decides to return to the Jets, or go elsewhere, Etienne would be a solid option for the Chiefs to end up with.
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