Who Should I Start? Ameer Abdullah or Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Monday, August 11, 8:41 PM

The San Francisco 49ers have placed running back Ameer Abdullah (ribs) on season-ending injured reserve, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Abdullah, who just joined the 49ers as a free agent on July 31, suffered a rib injury in a preseason-opening 30-9 loss to the Denver Broncos this past Saturday. While the 32-year-old was unlikely to make much of an impact this season (if any), it's another hit to San Francisco's depth in the backfield. The team is already set to go multiple weeks without injured Christian McCaffrey backups Isaac Guerendo (shoulder) and Jordan James (finger). The 49ers brought back Jeff Wilson Jr. in free agency on Sunday in the wake of Abdullah's injury to provide some much-needed healthy depth behind McCaffrey.

Wednesday, August 27, 3:31 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs signed running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Carson Steele to their practice squad on Wednesday, sources tell Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest. Edwards-Helaire was released by the New Orleans Saints on roster cutdown day on Tuesday, but he will quickly land on his feet with the team that selected him 32nd overall in 2020 out of LSU. The 26-year-old ran for 803 yards and four touchdowns on 181 carries in his first year in the NFL, but he never came close to matching those numbers over the next four years before KC cut him last season. While CEH probably should be considered a long shot to find a significant backfield role with the Chiefs again, he does bring experience and knowledge of head coach Andy Reid's offense with him. Steele will return after carrying the ball 56 times for 183 yards and no TDs in 17 games in his rookie season in 2024.