Marlon Mack Trade Rumors: Chiefs 'Have Looked into' Deal for Colts RB

The Kansas City Chiefs reportedly may be in the mix to acquire Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack before the Nov. 2 NFL trade deadline.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Chiefs have "looked into" Mack after starting running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire got injured Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills.

Edwards-Helaire suffered a sprained MCL, and the expectation is he will be out for "a few weeks," per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported last month that Mack and the Colts mutually agreed to seek a trade since his opportunities were limited behind Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines.

A torn Achilles cost Mack all but one game last season, but the 25-year-old is now healthy and capable of leading a backfield on a team with fewer options at running back than the Colts currently possess.

Indy made Mack a healthy scratch in two of the first three games of the 2021 season, but he returned to action last week and enjoyed his best game of the season Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens, rushing for 47 yards on five carries and catching one pass for seven yards.

The most impressive stretch of Mack's career came from 2018-19 when he averaged just shy of 1,000 rushing yards per season.

Mack, a 2017 fourth-round pick out of South Florida, broke out in 2018 when he rushed for 908 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown pass and averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

He was just as good in 2019, rushing for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns, while averaging 4.4 yards per tote.

The Colts selected Taylor in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft despite Mack's production, and the injury gave Taylor the opportunity to take over as the bell cow during his rookie season.

While the Colts have no obvious need for Mack when both Taylor and Hines are healthy, he could be a nice stopgap for the Chiefs until CEH is back.

For now, the Chiefs are working with Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon as their running backs with Edwards-Helaire on the shelf.

Williams has rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns in 26 carries this season, while catching seven passes for 45 yards. Meanwhile, McKinnon has rushed just once for two yards and has three grabs for 27 yards.

In four career NFL seasons, Williams has never rushed for more than 169 yards in a season, and McKinnon missed two full seasons because of injury in 2018 and 2019 before returning last season with the San Francisco 49ers and totaling 572 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns.

McKinnon is more of a third-down back, while Mack could be the primary runner on first and second down over Williams if the Chiefs decide to pursue him.

The Chiefs are only 2-3 this season, but Edwards-Helaire has helped them rank seventh in the NFL in rushing, and Mack may be the type of player who can help them maintain that pace while Edwards-Helaire is out.