Another former Raider will have increased role on Chiefs

Wednesday was another day of NFL opt outs and teams adding players to a reserve list because of the coronavirus pandemic. So far, the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster has not been impacted but an opponent has been affected again.

The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs announced running back Damien Williams has opted out of the season.

Williams is the second member of the Chiefs’ offense to opt out thus far. During the weekend, starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff opted out. The Chiefs are turning to two former Raiders to help replace both Duvernay-Tardiff and Williams. They signed former Raiders’ star guard Kelechi Osemele last week.

His former Raiders’ teammate, DeAndre Washington, will be in the mix to take Williams’ reps. The Chiefs signed Washington earlier this offseason.

He, of course, was college teammates with Kansas City superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech.

Photo by John Weast/Getty Images

Washington, a fifth-round draft pick by the Raiders in 2016, was a solid change-of-pace back with the Raiders. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and his chemistry with Mahomes should be invaluable.

The Chiefs were going to rely on first-round pick, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a lot before Williams’ decision. Now, he should be an even bigger part of the offense. Still, Washington and Darwin Thompson should get more work as well.

It will be interesting to see how many more opt outs will occur and how it will affect the playoff picture.

The New England Patriots, who could compete with the Raiders for an AFC playoff spot, have already had six players opt out of the season.