Chiefs get good news on signing star RB who was 1st-round pick by AFC foe

The Kansas City Chiefs have been lacking a star running back for a while now. 

They can change that in free agency. And this week, they got some good news on that front.

The Kansas City Star's Pete Sweeney shared this on X on Friday night:

"Ahead of Combine week, I’m hearing there’s legitimate interest from Travis Etienne to come to KC. Etienne’s due to become a UFA on 3/11, and the Chiefs need a running back. We’ll see."

Etienne has spent his entire NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who originally drafted him in the first round.

"Etienne has the play speed to upgrade a Chiefs run game that ranked 25th last season (106.6 yards per game)," ESPN's Matt Bowen wrote this week. "And with his dual-threat ability as a pass catcher, Etienne would be schemed on screens and backfield releases in coach Andy Reid's system. This is a move to add more juice and big-play ability to the Kansas City offense. Etienne's 26 rushes of 10 or more yards were tied for the 12th most in the NFL last season."

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Etienne fits a lot more in the Brian Westbrook-mold of running back that Reid had so much success with early in his career. He can do a bit of everything on the football field.

This past season, the trio of Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco and Brashard Smith simply didn't offer enough dynamism to a Chiefs offense that needed it.

Coming off a 6-11 season, Kansas City can't afford to waste too much time here. The Chiefs need to get the RB position right.

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