# Clyde Edwards-Helaire
**Clyde Edwards-Helaire** (pronounced ee-LAIR; born 1999 in [Baton Rouge, Louisiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/baton-rouge-louisiana)) is an American professional football running back who played five seasons with the [Kansas City Chiefs](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-city-chiefs) after being selected 32nd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, winning two Super Bowls with the team before stints with the [New Orleans Saints](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-orleans-saints) and a return to Kansas City.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EdwaCl00.htm) • [2](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/NO.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; 5 feet 7 inches, 207 pounds[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EdwaCl00.htm) |
| College | LSU; 2019 junior season of 1,415 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 215 carries (6.6 per carry) on an undefeated national championship team[3](https://www.chiefs.com/draft/2020/) |
| Draft | First round, 32nd overall, Kansas City Chiefs, 2020 NFL Draft[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EdwaCl00.htm) |
| NFL debut | 138 rushing yards on 25 attempts and a touchdown against Houston, September 10, 2020[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2023/KC.pdf) |
| Career high | 161 rushing yards in Week 6 against Buffalo, 2020[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2023/KC.pdf) |
| Career totals | 52 games, 461 rushing attempts, 1,904 yards, 4.1 yards per attempt, 12 rushing touchdowns; two-time Super Bowl champion[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EdwaCl00.htm) |
| Later teams | New Orleans Saints practice squad in Week 16 of 2024, then a one-year contract; back with Kansas City in 2025[2](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/NO.pdf) • [5](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2025_advanced.htm) |
## College career at LSU
Edwards-Helaire stayed home to play for LSU, signing with the hometown Tigers as a four-star recruit out of Catholic High School in Baton Rouge.[3](https://www.chiefs.com/draft/2020/) As a true freshman in 2017 he worked as a reserve back and on special teams, with 13 kick returns for 427 yards. In 2018 he led LSU in all-purpose yards, combining 146 carries for 658 yards and seven touchdowns with 11 receptions and 17 kickoff returns for 416 yards.[3](https://www.chiefs.com/draft/2020/)
His junior season of 2019 made his reputation. Starting 14 of 15 games, he rushed for 1,415 yards and 16 touchdowns on 215 carries, a 6.6-yard average, and added 55 receptions for 453 yards and a touchdown plus 10 kick returns for 214 yards. He earned first-team All-SEC honors as a running back and second-team honors as a returner, was a Paul Hornung Award finalist, and finished the season on LSU's undefeated national championship team.[3](https://www.chiefs.com/draft/2020/) The 55 receptions set the LSU single-season record for a running back, and his career rushing yards rank 15th in school history.[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2023/KC.pdf)
## Draft and rookie season
The defending [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) champion Chiefs took Edwards-Helaire with the final pick of the first round in 2020, the only first-rounder among their six selections that year.[3](https://www.chiefs.com/draft/2020/) • [6](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/28/nfl/1588030435_345651.html) He started his first NFL game with 138 yards on 25 carries and a 27-yard touchdown run against Houston, and in Week 6 against Buffalo he rushed for a career-high 161 yards.[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2023/KC.pdf) As a rookie he played 13 games, all starts, with 181 attempts for 803 yards.[7](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2020_advanced.htm) A hip and groin injury near the end of the season cost him about a month.[8](https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs/onsi/gm-report/kc-chiefs-rb-clyde-edwards-helaire-film-review-maximizing-2022)
## Kansas City years, 2021 to 2023
In 2021 Edwards-Helaire played 10 games with 119 attempts for 517 yards, and appeared in two playoff games with 13 carries for 96 yards.[9](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2021_advanced.htm) His third season, 2022, was described by NFL.com as his worst as a pro, marked by inefficiency and injuries.[10](https://www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-rb-clyde-edwards-helaire-was-never-down-and-out-during-injury-plagued-202) He was activated from injured reserve ahead of [Super Bowl LVII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-lvii), which Kansas City won.[11](https://www.nfl.com/players/clyde-edwards-helaire/)
In 2023 he appeared in 15 games with 3 starts, and Kansas City won the Super Bowl again that season, making him a two-time champion.[12](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2023_advanced.htm) • [1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EdwaCl00.htm) He re-signed with the Chiefs on a one-year deal for 2024.[11](https://www.nfl.com/players/clyde-edwards-helaire/)
## Departure from Kansas City and later career
Edwards-Helaire missed the first four games of the 2024 season on the non-football illness list; when the Chiefs also lost a second running back, they signed [Kareem Hunt](https://www.edgepedia.org/kareem-hunt) to reinforce the position.[13](https://apnews.com/article/e02c86492982355676e0be2548b95914) The Chiefs released him, a move he announced himself, and he returned to his home state by joining the Saints' practice squad during Week 16 of the 2024 season.[14](https://as.com/us/nfl/los-kansas-city-chiefs-cortan-a-clyde-edwards-helaire-n/) • [2](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/NO.pdf) New Orleans elevated him to the active roster in late December and signed him to a one-year contract on January 13, 2025; he finished the 2024 season with 2 games and 13 carries for 46 yards for the Saints.[2](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/NO.pdf) • [15](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2024/rushing_advanced.htm) In 2025 he was back with Kansas City, appearing in 2 games with 7 carries for 13 yards as a depth option behind [Isiah Pacheco](https://www.edgepedia.org/isiah-pacheco) and Kareem Hunt.[5](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2025_advanced.htm) • [16](https://www.rotowire.com/football/player/clyde-edwards-helaire-14514)
## Playing style
Scouting reports before the draft described an undersized but elusive back. [CBS Sports](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-sports) called him a lateral cut magician who could make three or four defenders miss on a single play, and the SIS Rookie Handbook credited his instincts, quickness, contact balance, and receiving ability while flagging pass protection as a weakness.[17](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/clyde-edwards-helaire-rb-lsu/) • [18](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/sis-football-rookie-handbook-preview-clyde-edwards-helaire/) His small frame, 5 feet 7 inches and 207 pounds, gave him a smaller catch radius than larger backs and limited his power between the tackles, but he was regarded as polished in the screen game and difficult to tackle in space with a compact, bowling-ball running style.[19](https://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2020cedwardshelarire.php) • [18](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/sis-football-rookie-handbook-preview-clyde-edwards-helaire/) At LSU he stood out most in the passing game, and analysts projected him best in a complementary role with opportunities in space rather than as a downhill workhorse.[8](https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs/onsi/gm-report/kc-chiefs-rb-clyde-edwards-helaire-film-review-maximizing-2022) • [18](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/sis-football-rookie-handbook-preview-clyde-edwards-helaire/)
## References
1. [Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EdwaCl00.htm)
2. [New Orleans Saints 2025 Media Guide](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2025/NO.pdf)
3. [2020 Draft Tracker, Kansas City Chiefs](https://www.chiefs.com/draft/2020/)
4. [Kansas City Chiefs 2023 Media Guide, Clyde Edwards-Helaire profile](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2023/KC.pdf)
5. [2025 Kansas City Chiefs Advanced Stats, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2025_advanced.htm)
6. [El mejor jugador que seleccionó tu equipo en el Draft (I), AS](https://as.com/us/us/2020/04/28/nfl/1588030435_345651.html)
7. [2020 Kansas City Chiefs Advanced Stats, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2020_advanced.htm)
8. [Film Review: How the Chiefs Can Maximize Clyde Edwards-Helaire in 2022, SI](https://www.si.com/nfl/chiefs/onsi/gm-report/kc-chiefs-rb-clyde-edwards-helaire-film-review-maximizing-2022)
9. [2021 Kansas City Chiefs Advanced Stats, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2021_advanced.htm)
10. [Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire was never 'down and out' during injury-plagued 2022 season, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-rb-clyde-edwards-helaire-was-never-down-and-out-during-injury-plagued-202)
11. [Clyde Edwards-Helaire Stats, News and Video, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/players/clyde-edwards-helaire/)
12. [2023 Kansas City Chiefs Advanced Stats, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/kan/2023_advanced.htm)
13. [Back with the Chiefs, running back Kareem Hunt wants to prove he's matured, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/e02c86492982355676e0be2548b95914)
14. [Los Kansas City Chiefs cortan a Clyde Edwards-Helaire, AS](https://as.com/us/nfl/los-kansas-city-chiefs-cortan-a-clyde-edwards-helaire-n/)
15. [2024 NFL Advanced Rushing, Pro-Football-Reference](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2024/rushing_advanced.htm)
16. [Clyde Edwards-Helaire NFL Stats & News, RotoWire](https://www.rotowire.com/football/player/clyde-edwards-helaire-14514)
17. [NFL Draft analysis for Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU, CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/clyde-edwards-helaire-rb-lsu/)
18. [SIS Football Rookie Handbook Preview: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Sharp Football Analysis](https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/sis-football-rookie-handbook-preview-clyde-edwards-helaire/)
19. [2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, WalterFootball](https://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2020cedwardshelarire.php)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Running backs › Active NFL running backs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license