3. Elijah Mitchell, RB
The veteran running back signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first stage of NFL free agency. When Mitchell signed with Kansas City, it looked like he could become Kareem Hunt’s replacement.
At the time of the signing, Hunt was an unrestricted free agent. However, the Chiefs eventually re-signed the veteran running back, putting Mitchell in an interesting spot. The former Niners running back will likely compete with second-year running back Carson Steele for the RB3 job.
The 26-year-old Mitchell has a ton of talent, which was on full display as a rookie in 2021 with 963 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. However, he’s struggled to return to that form as he can’t shake the injury bug.
That’s the only way I see Mitchell failing with the Chiefs. If the veteran gets hurt and is sidelined for some time, that could affect his standing on the roster.
The 5-foot-10 running back missed the entire 2024 season after suffering a hamstring injury in the summer. However, Mitchell told the KC media that he’s 100 percent healthy, so he’ll see if he can stay injury-free and carve out a role in the Chiefs’ backfield.