Every preseason there are plenty of feel-good stories about scrappy UDFAs that are looking for a shot to prove they belong on one of the NFL’s 53-man rosters. In 2024’s exhibition season, that mantle belonged to Carson Steele.

Every Carson Steele preseason rush attempt

– 11 carries
– 11 avoided tackles
– 87 rushing yards
– 81 of those yards created AFTER initial contact

Check out the new undrafted Kansas City Chiefs rookie RB: pic.twitter.com/XcqmvINfJe

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 23, 2024

With the name of a protagonist in a romance novel — and the luscious locks to match — Steele stands out on the field. With people from his hometown testifying to the quality of his character, Steele becomes an easy player to root for.

Fun comment from the peanut gallery about @carsonsteele30, including HIS OFFICIAL NICKNAME.

“I’m new here but I’ve known Carson since he was a little kid. Glad to see he is becoming a fan favorite. Here are a few things I know about him.

In the weight room he will be one of the… pic.twitter.com/xEkrCUGnku

— 📽️ Red Tribe Cinema (@ClayWendler) August 26, 2024

Add “gator wrangler” on top of his preseason performances, and what’s not to like?

#Chiefs FB Carson Steele has made the 53-man roster after going undrafted this year.

His preseason stats:

• 87 rushing yards
• 7.9 yards per carry
• 65 return yards
• 2 TDs pic.twitter.com/IealaoFKUn

— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) August 27, 2024

But Steele’s preseason was more substance than style, as his performance led to the release of Deneric Prince — the early offseason favorite to claim the team’s backup role. There was a steady drumbeat of praise for Steele that became louder with each passing week this preseason. Fantasy managers started to buy into Steele’s potential, as his name started to regularly appear in the final rounds of high-stakes contests on the FFPC.

Just as Steele’s stock reached its apex, the Chiefs threw some water on the hype as they signed Samaje Perine after he was released by the Broncos.

Did the Chiefs find their next Jerick McKinnon in Samaje Perine? 👀 pic.twitter.com/lfuO1YbXhZ

— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) August 30, 2024

Bringing Perine into the fold makes sense, as the Chiefs needed both depth at RB and a player to fill the role as the team’s primary receiving back. Last season, Isiah Pacheco led the Chiefs RBs in routes run with 229. Among RBs with at least 50 targets last season — a cohort that includes both Perine and Pacheco, among 20 others — Perine ranked fourth in receiving FPOEPA while Pacheco ranked 13th. Perine also came in second among the group in both receiving yards per reception and receiving yards per target, while Pacheco finished last and 17th in each respective statistic.

We’ve been able to conclude that it was a smart football move to sign Perine, but how should we expect the workload to shake out in the Kansas City backfield for 2024? And, more specifically, should we be holding out hope of seeing Steele garner a meaningful role moving forward?

Steele was able to put up some impressive backfield dominator ratings during his time at Ball State. He then transferred to UCLA and operated as the team’s lead rusher as part of a committee in 2023.

While by no means prolific in the passing game, Steele was not a total zero as a receiver out of the backfield in college.

When looking at Steele’s comps from the past 10 years in the Prospect Box Score Scout, they really are the best we could hope for from a UDFA. The inclusion of Pacheco also signals that the Chiefs may have had a good idea of what they were getting when they signed Steele.

Steele was not invited to the combine, but attended the Colts’ local pro day a couple weeks later. His test results were a mixed bag: an uninspiring 4.75 seconds in the forty, but an impressive 28 reps in the bench press and a 37.5-inch vertical. Measuring in at 6 feet tall and 228 pounds, Steele was considered a tweener between a true-RB and fullback leading up to the draft.

Chiefs RB Outlook

Even after the signing of Perine, the Chiefs’ backfield does not look particularly deep. Pacheco and Perine will surely consolidate the majority of the touches to start the season. With Pacheco’s aggressive running style and Perine’s age (28), both could be susceptible to injury during the year. An injury to Pacheco would likely open up the most playing time for Steele, as their profiles in the BSS show how similar they were as prospects. In the unfortunate event that Pacheco were to go down, Perine would likely operate as the lead back, but Steele would have the potential for a significant role. If Perine were to miss time, Pacheco would most likely see his role revert to where it was in 2023 as the team’s workhorse, with Steele only being brought in to spell him when he needs rest.

As this year’s preseason darling, Steele is a name to remember throughout the season. While the signing of Perine was a blow to Steele’s rising value, it wasn’t enough for Shawn Siegele to exclude Steele when writing his Zero-RB Watchlist.^[1]Perine meanwhile jumps into the top-15 with the latest update. There is a decent chance we could see a significant role open up for Steele at some point this season, and he could be worth an add for teams in desperate need of help at the RB position. Any back in the Chiefs offense is going to face light boxes, and Steele has popped enough in the preseason to make us believe he would be able to take advantage. While not worthy of a roster spot in fantasy just yet, Steele has the potential to be more than a “remember that guy?” reference a few years from now.