Kansas City Chiefs: Carlos Hyde trade impacts Darwin Thompson

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Darwin Thompson should get a bump in value and production with Carlos Hyde traded away.

A flurry of trades hit the NFL market within a week of kickoff. With one of the latest involving the Kansas City Chiefs sending backup RB Carlos Hyde to the Houston Texans in exchange for OT Martinas Rankin.

With this comes a new opportunity for the next man up on the roster, 2019 sixth-round selection Darwin Thompson.

After turning heads in the preseason, Thompson’s value was already on the rise. But now with an unexpected trade making room on the Chiefs’ RB depth chart; that value of Thompson catapults.

After earning over 1,000 yards and 14 TDs at his lone year at Utah State, Thompson felt ready for the professional gridiron, and that feeling seems appropriate so far.

The 5-foot-8 tailback possesses an above-average skill set for RB route running-he showed that after a 29-yard TD pass against Cincinnati week one this preseason. A multi-purpose RB is something the Chiefs offense feeds on, so you can see why Andy Reid and Brett Veach drafted him.

Thompson didn’t see much volume in the preseason. Not even a single snap in week four. As this may come off as negative, the Chiefs already saw enough of Thompson’s talent in camp and the first two games to make him roster-worthy. Even on limited volume, Thompson gained 98 yards and a TD on just 15 touches throughout the preseason.

The Chiefs current third-team RB holds many ideal traits for an NFL RB today: hands, power, route running, vision, balance, etc. Thompson has shown responsibility in his athletic career, now he will have a vital backup role in one of the best offenses in the NFL.

He is — as of now — looking like a steal. However, we have to remember, it’s not what you do in August, but in September and throughout the season.

“I have to show what I can do,” Darwin told Chiefs.com after his solid NFL debut against the Bengals. He’ll have more than enough chances to do that now.

Thompson should prove to be a useful sidekick to Chiefs starting RB Damien Williams.