The running back room was much emptier than anyone would have liked on Sunday. Fortunately, the few remaining players on the roster more than answered the call to step in. That includes undrafted rookie Carson Steele, who emerged as a reliable force out of the backfield in the Chiefs’ 22-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.
In the bright spotlight of primetime, Steele carried the ball as the team’s temporary lead running back after Isiah Pacheco broke his fibula and gave the Chiefs a reliable move that allowed 9 first downs on the ground in an Andy Reid offense.
Steele and Samaje Perine were supposed to carry the bulk of the responsibility that night – however much that might be – with Keaontay Ingram helping them out. Instead, the task fell to Steele, who ended the night with a surprising 17 carries to Perine’s 6. Together, they combined for 97 rushing yards and a solid 4.2 yards per carry average.
Before the game, the Chiefs had placed Pacheco on the injured list, and there were at least two games left before they could bring Clyde Edwards-Helaire off the NFI list. After losing both players, the Chiefs agreed to terms with free agent Kareem Hunt to return to the team, but there wasn’t enough cap space to bring him off the practice squad for Week 3, so the Chiefs hoped Steele and Perine would be enough.
“It’s always bad when a player gets injured,” Steele told the TV crew of Football on Sunday evening. “But, you know, there’s this kind of ‘next man up’ mentality that we have throughout the week. And we decided that if we need someone to make 17 to 20 appearances, we’ll take one and keep going. So that was kind of the motto for the week.”
The Chiefs had given Steele some limited opportunities in the team’s first two games, and the rookie had played like one. He had recorded positive yardage while also dropping the ball in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Chiefs were lucky it didn’t end up costing them. Yet it was the way head coach Andy Reid handled that mistake that helped Steele gain confidence for better days.
“It was pretty tough being an undrafted player, but like you said, the confidence, you know, they trusted me. I had a little slip-up in the last game, but they didn’t let it bother me too much. They really let me hang in there and pull through.”
Steele admitted it was surreal at times as he grew into his role as a former undrafted rookie out of UCLA. But football is football and that’s what he does best.
“It’s a surreal moment. You watch these guys on TV. I don’t want to make them feel old, but I’ve been watching them for quite a long time now. But at the end of the day, you come out here, you put the shoulder pads on, you put the pants on, the same thing. So I had to kind of adopt that mentality and go from there.”
