KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) The Kansas City Chiefs traded backup running back Knile Davis to the Green Bay Packers for a conditional draft pick Tuesday, a person familiar with the trade told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced.
The Packers were desperate for running back depth with Eddie Lacy nursing a bothersome ankle and James Starks undergoing knee surgery. Lacy was their only active running back against Dallas on Sunday, and he was held to just 65 yards on 17 carries in a 30-16 loss.
Davis had been passed over by Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West on the Chiefs’ depth chart, and the return of Jamaal Charles from his knee injury made him expendable.
The Kansas City Star first reported the trade.
The Packers’ loss to the Cowboys was just the latest example of their offensive struggles this season, and now they have a short week before facing the Bears on Thursday night. That also makes it unlikely Davis will be ready to assume much of a role given so little practice time.
The former Arkansas standout was the Chiefs’ third-round pick in 2013, and was expected to team with Charles in a power-and-lightning backfield. But issues with fumbles that plagued him in college continued in the NFL, and he gradually lost playing time to other running backs.
His best season was 2014, when he ran for 463 yards and six touchdowns. But he’s only carried 29 times for 70 yards and a touchdown the past two seasons combined.
Davis was a longshot to make the Kansas City roster out of training camp, but his special teams ability may have made the difference. He’s averaged 27.2 yards on kickoff returns during his four-year career, and returned three kicks for touchdowns.
The fact that the Chiefs and Packers were trade partners is hardly surprising. Chiefs general manager John Dorsey played for the Packers in the 1980s, spent most of his career in their front office and rose to director of football operations before joining the Chiefs prior to the 2013 season.
Davis was the third player he drafted in Kansas City.
