Deneric

Prince

The second-year UDFA appeared to be making a run at No. 2 status. Then training camp began. Prince ended up falling behind FB Carson Steele, while not even Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s health issues could save Prince’s roster status. Prince’s preseason film was certainly that of a mediocre player. Still only 24, a second chance elsewhere remains possible if he doesn’t sign to the Chiefs’ practice squad. Also waived/released by the Chiefs on Tuesday were RB Emani Bailey, LB Swayze Bozeman, TE Baylor Cupp, DT Neil Farrell, T Chukwuebuka Godrick, CB Kamal Hadden, RB Keaontay Ingram, LB Curtis Jacobs, DE Truman Jones, DT Fabien Lovett, CB D.J. Miller, T Lucas Niang, QB Chris Oladokun, WR Cornell Powell, RB Deneric Prince, RB Louis Rees-Zammit, WR Nikko Remigio, WR Justyn Ross, CB Keith Taylor, WR Kadarius Toney, S Deon Bush, LB Cole Christiansen, DT Matt Dickerson, TE Irv Smith and S Tyree Gillespie.

Prince’s position as the No. 3 running back appears safe, given his usage but his overall preseason performance leaves some to be desired, averaging 4.4 yards per rushing attempt and forcing just one missed tackle on 14 attempts.

Edwards-Helaire has been held out of multiple summer practices and did not play in Kansas City’s second preseason game against the Lions while dealing with PTSD symptoms. “We’re just playing it kind of by ear and how he feels,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “He started feeling better the day of the game and then he felt pretty good yesterday, so we’re heading in the right direction here. It’s a sensitive deal – we’re trying to learn as we go here.” Reid said he had not thought about placing CEH on the injured reserve list to start the regular season. Reid said the team is “trying to get him back out there and make sure he’s comfortable where he can function.” Isiah Pacheco remains the Chiefs’ lead back, with some combination of Deneric Prince and Carson Steele serving as backups for the moment.

Prince was the third running back in the rotation for the Chiefs on Saturday, wish Isaiah Pacheco playing the first series and Clyde Edwards-Helaire getting two carries for zero yards after Pacheco exited. Prince has seen snaps with the first-team offense during practices, but he was pretty clearly third in line for Kansas City during Saturday’s contest. He was also outplayed by Carson Steele (7-29-1), but it doesn’t seem likely that Prince is in danger of losing the third spot just yet.

Prince, a metric darling who was cut by Kansas City last August, is back with the team and functioning as the RB2 in the first day of training camp. Clyde Edwards-Helaire took snaps behind Pacheco and Prince on Tuesday, with Keontay Ingram and Louis Rees-Zammit working with the second-team offense. While it’s important not to read too much into early training camp usage, it’s notable that Prince is working with the first team at all. The battle between Prince and CEH will be one to monitor in the coming weeks.

Prince ran and jumped his way into the hearts of fantasy managers earlier this offseason, only to fade away in camp/the preseason. The former Tulsa running back faced an uphill battle to crack a running back room that features Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Jerick McKinnon and is now on the outside looking in. There’s a chance Prince clears waivers and ends up back on the Chiefs’ practice squad in the coming days. In addition to Prince, the Chiefs also released/waived DE Joshua Kaindoh, DT Phil Hoskins, S Deon Bush, DT Danny Shelton, CB Reese Taylor, CB Ekow Boye-Doe, LB Cole Christiansen, S Anthony Cook, QB Shane Buechele, QB Chris Oladokun, OL Sebastian Gutierrez, DT Daniel Wise, CB Kahlef Hailassie, RB La’Michal Perine, C Austin Reiter, and TE Kendall Blanton.

The biggest story from the Kansas City backfield was the pecking order of work during their final preseason game prior to the regular season, with offseason darling Prince playing behind Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and La’Mical Perine. It appears the undrafted free agent rookie has an uphill battle to be active on game days when games matter in two weeks.

Pacheco suffered a torn labrum and a broken bone in his hand as a rookie. He played through the issues but ultimately need surgery for both after the season. He is still recovering and isn’t expected to be ready for the start of training camp in July. In his absence, Taylor highlighted UDFA rookie Deneric Prince as a name to know during minicamp. Prince will see most of his run on special teams as a rookie but could take on a larger role if Pacheco’s recovery is delayed. He will be vying for kick return duties during training camp but should see plenty of reps as a running back in the Chiefs’ preseason outings.

Brooks (5'9"/195) was the hammer that setup the rest of the team all game. He consistently fell forward for positive yards, and bulldozed his way to a number of first downs and he scored Tulsa’s first touchdown in the same way. He took a handoff, followed his blocks and fell in for the score. Tulsa had a number of very long drives that absolutely ate up the clock, and Brooks, along with fellow RBs Anthony Watkins, Deneric Prince and Steven Anderson were key to that. On the day they ran for 228 yards combined on 53 carries. With his 107 yards today, Brooks went over 1000 yards for the second time in his career, and is now at 3729 yards for his career.

Brooks (5'9/195) rushed 26 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns in last Saturday’s 35-29 win over Memphis and impressed once more this weekend. The rusher carried the ball 23 times for 145 yards with one touchdown, finishing just ahead of fellow running back Deneric Prince, who totaled 19 carries for 110 yards on the ground with one touchdown.