With Kansas City Chiefs training camp now underway, the KC coaching staff will evaluate each member of their 91-man roster over the next month, leading up to roster cuts and Week 1 of the new NFL season.
And with a roster as competitive as the Chiefs’, there are always a few difficult cut decisions to be made. For example, in 2025, one veteran KC beat reporter believes recent free agent signing Elijah Mitchell will miss the cut.
During a new 53-man roster projection on July 22, Arrowhead Pride insider Pete Sweeney predicted that the veteran running back, Mitchell, would be released just months after signing in Kansas City.
“The running back room may be a little trickier than advertised, as I see the only true locks at the top and bottom,” Sweeney wrote. “Isiah Pacheco added more weight for his contract season, while rookie Brashard Smith projects to be a gadget piece while starting at one of the returner positions.”
Sweeney went on to note that “quietly, free-agent running back Elijah Mitchell signed for a greater signing bonus and guaranteed money than Kareem Hunt.”
However, the Chiefs beat reporter added that he is resistant in following that money trail because of “Mitchell’s historical lack of durability.”
Mitchell also hasn’t played much special teams over his NFL career, and Sweeney made sure to point out that “special teams coordinator Dave Toub seems to have a plan for Carson Steele, [who also] lined up 55 times as a fullback during the 2024 regular season.”
Along with Pacheco and Smith, Sweeney currently has both Hunt and Steele making the 53-man roster, rounding out a four-man RB room.
It’s Been a Painfully Silent Spring for Elijah Mitchell as Chiefs Rookie Brashard Smith Continues to Gain Attention
OTAs and minicamp are both passing camps, so you generally don’t hear too much about the running back position. While that mostly proved true for players like Mitchell, Hunt, and even Pacheco this spring, Smith has burst onto the scene as a dangerous third-down option in the passing game.
The seventh-round rookie continued his early ascension on day two of Chiefs training camp on July 23, per A-to-Z Sports Kansas City reporter Charles Goldman.
“Brashard Smith flashes speed and versatility,” Goldman highlighted on Wednesday.
Reminding: “Eyebrows were raised when the Chiefs selected the WR turned RB in the seventh round of April’s draft. Smith’s ability to catch passes out of the backfield is something the Chiefs have missed since the days of Jerick McKinnon.”
Those traits were on full display at practices, as KSHB 41 beat reporter Nick Jacobs relayed that “[Patrick] Mahomes [hit] Brashard Smith in stride on the wheel [route]. [With] Smith showing off his speed [and] pulling away quickly.”
“Smith could make an impact as a third-down back this season,” Goldman reiterated within his article. “His ability to pass protect will factor in largely to that, which we’ll see next week when the pads come on.”
The KC reporter also added that “another thing that can help him make the roster is being a return specialist.” And, per Goldman, Smith further solidified his role by fielding “several punts” on July 23.
Chiefs Could Potentially Cut an Extra Running Back, Keeping 3 at the Position
As Sweeney stated, it seems like Smith is a lock to make the roster already, based on his early impact in multiple facets of the game. Pacheco is right there with him as the presumptive starter, but it’s wide open after those two.
Hunt could have the edge, based on the coaching staff’s trust in him and his secret power in short-yardage situations. But an extra cut could spell the end of the versatile core special teamer and fullback, Steele.
If the Chiefs do end up cutting another running back, Sweeney predicted that they would use the extra spot to keep a 10th offensive lineman.
