Has Chiefs RB La'Mical Perine supplanted Deneric Prince?

The Kansas City Chiefs appear to be shaking up the depth chart at the running back position and not in the way you might think. Heading into training camp there was a lot of hype surrounding undrafted rookie free agent RB Deneric Prince. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes had touted his pass-catching ability. Dave Toub […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor

Aug 18, 2023 12:30 PM EDT

The Kansas City Chiefs appear to be shaking up the depth chart at the running back position and not in the way you might think.

Heading into training camp there was a lot of hype surrounding undrafted rookie free agent RB Deneric Prince. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes had touted his pass-catching ability. Dave Toub had said he'd get the first crack at the team's starting kick returner position. However, following the first preseason game and as training camp winded down this past week, it appeared as if Prince had fallen out of favor with the offensive coaching staff.

During 9-on-7 run periods, Prince was fifth in line to get carries, when he'd previously been the second or third player up. Instead, it was fourth-year veteran La'Mical Perine getting carries behind Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon with Isiah Pacheco still sidelined.

Perine rising to the occasion

A former fourth-round pick by the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL draft, Perine has excelled in pass protection during training camp and has the makings of a third-down running back in the Chiefs' offense.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Reid explained that Perine has shown tremendous consistency during the course of training camp.

"He’s got a knack," Reid said of Perine. "He kind of does everything well. You know, he’s good in the pass game, good protection, good in the run game, good eyes, vision, feet. So, he’s been very consistent through the camp, and he picks things up easy so that’s been good for him I think.”

While it remains to be seen how this impacts the distribution of snaps in the preseason, it's notable that this change has happened in practice. Should the Chiefs decide to keep four running backs on the 53-man roster, it could now be Perine and not Prince who is in line for a roster spot. It would seem that the inconsistencies as a runner and in pass protection in preseason Week 1 might have Kansas City's decision-makers questioning whether Prince is truly ready.

Perine first signed with the team's practice squad in January and went on to sign a reserve/future deal following Super Bowl LVII. His name might sound familiar to fans as La'Mical's cousin, Samaje Perine, previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals and now plays for the Denver Broncos.