Why Elijah Mitchell might not make the Chiefs roster despite exciting upside

The Chiefs running back room has been one of the biggest points of discussion for the roster. Since the injury to Isiah Pacheco and the reemergence of Kareem Hunt, it's been obvious that the Chiefs need to improve the position overall, especially when it comes to explosiveness. The Chiefs’ putrid 3.0 yards per rush were tied for 30th in the league, per FTN. The rushing offense ranked dead last in 10+ yard carries, per NFL Pro, despite only facing a stacked box on 16.2% of snaps, one of the lowest rates in the league.

In an effort to revive the run game, the Chiefs signed Elijah Mitchell from the 49ers as a reclamation project. Mitchell has averaged 4.7 yards per carry in his career, a significant upgrade over last year’s team average. He signed a one-year, $1.4 million deal that includes $1.35 million guaranteed, a surprisingly high figure for a player who missed the entire 2024 season.

Chiefs RB back depth

The Chiefs have been bargain hunting at running back ever since drafting Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and that approach caught up with them in 2024. They were forced to lean on late-summer signing Samaje Perine and UDFA Carson Steele, who projects more as a fullback than a true running back. To help patch the depth, they brought back Kareem Hunt and added both Mitchell and seventh-round rookie Brashard Smith.

The Chiefs have certainly added depth to the floor of the running back room, but have they raised the ceiling? It certainly feels like the Chiefs are betting on getting a better version of Isiah Pacheco in 2025. Brashard Smith has the potential to be a game-changer for the Chiefs’ backfield, but he's also a seventh-round rookie, so expectations for him have to be tempered.

For most of 2024, Kareem Hunt looked like the best back the Chiefs had, despite not being very dynamic. So the question remains: how does the running back room pan out? And is Elijah Mitchell the odd man out?

Elijah Mitchell's role is unclear

Right now, it feels like Isiah Pacheco will likely be the closest thing the Chiefs have to a lead back in 2025. It's likely he’s the back who gets the majority of snaps in Week 1 in Brazil.

Kareem Hunt's path to making the roster seems very easy. He's been the best back in short yardage the Chiefs have had in a long time, and he's currently the best pass protector they have as well.

Brashard Smith feels like an easy candidate for the change-of-pace role, where he can get designed touches to take advantage of his explosiveness and pass-catching ability.

After those three, the roles start getting a little bit murky. There's been a misconception around Elijah Mitchell that he could be “Jerick McKinnon 2.0” simply because he was a reclamation project from the same team. However, Mitchell has had only 9 receptions since 2021 and isn’t much of a pass blocker. His role is much closer to Isiah Pacheco’s than McKinnon’s.

Then you add in Carson Steele, whose role shrank quickly after having three fumbles early in the season. However, Steele does have more versatility than Mitchell. Last year, Steele took 55 snaps at fullback, and that role could grow in 2025. Additionally, Steele took 32% of special teams snaps last season—a major key to making the back end of the roster.

Mitchell's path to making the roster is harder than most think. He's essentially going to have to be as good or better than Isiah Pacheco on early downs or suddenly become a much better pass catcher and protector than he's been his whole career. With only three special teams snaps played in his entire career, the value of him making the roster over a player like Steele—who can play running back, fullback, and contribute on special teams—just isn’t there.

Add in the fact that he’s struggled to stay healthy, and the Chiefs have some enticing UDFA names who could be fringe roster candidates, too, like Elijah Badger and Jake Briningstool.

Overall, Elijah Mitchell is still an exciting lottery ticket for the Chiefs. His 2021 season, where he had over 1,000 total yards, would be the best season a Chiefs running back has had since Kareem Hunt in 2017. That said, 2021 was a while ago, and a lot has changed with Mitchell and his role since then. Here’s to hoping the Chiefs have tough decisions to make in the running back room in 2025 after a down year in 2024.