Former Kansas City Chiefs running back and veteran cut Elijah Mitchell was in the news again this week, as remaining teams prep for round two of the NFL Playoffs.

“The [New England] Patriots released RB Elijah Mitchell from their practice squad,” Boston Herald beat reporter Doug Kyed relayed on X. He added that it was a “corresponding move” to sign defensive end Darrell Taylor to the practice squad.

Mitchell was a major bust of a free agent signing with the Chiefs in 2025, and it appears that he hasn’t had much luck elsewhere, at least so far. The veteran running back latched on with the Patriots after being released by Kansas City late in the regular season.

He was likely hoping to secure an opportunity with a potential Super Bowl contender, and New England did provide him with that for a time, but that window appears to have closed. Mitchell has not done much since his rookie campaign in 2021, when he broke out for 1,100 scrimmage yards with the San Francisco 49ers.

Elijah Mitchell Was a Total Dud With Chiefs, Logging Just 7 Snaps in 2025 Before Being Cut

Mitchell didn’t cost the Chiefs a ton in free agency, but for a cap-strapped franchise like KC, every dollar is important, and this signing was a complete and utter waste of funds.

The Chiefs brought Mitchell in on a one-year deal that could have paid up to $2.5 million. However, he was only guaranteed $1.35 million, and that’s all he ended up earning.

Not counting the preseason, Mitchell was only on the field for 7 offensive snaps with Kansas City. Which, quite frankly, is kind of incredible considering the Chiefs’ running back woes and the fact that Mitchell was on the 53-man roster for the majority of the season.

Week after week, the fourth-string RB was listed as a healthy scratch, and he quickly faded into the background as a forgotten offseason addition. Needless to say, this drew the ire of fans throughout the year.

The Chiefs Missed the NFL Playoffs, & Running Back Was Part of the Reason Why

Analytically speaking, the Chiefs’ running back room was one of the worst in football in terms of explosiveness and playmaking ability. Mitchell was originally acquired to help in that area, but it didn’t take long for fans and coaches to see that he was not the same dynamic player that he once was.

The issue is that KC stuck with him for the majority of the season, in a reserve role, rather than promoting someone like Carson Steele or adding another RB from another organization’s practice squad.

And not only did the Chiefs’ running back room hold them back in a year where they did not make the NFL Playoffs, but the decision to ride with Mitchell also seemingly pushed away a prospect like Steele.

At the end of the season, rather than re-sign with Kansas City on a reserve/future contract, Steele chose to skip town and pursue a new opportunity in the NFC.

Granted, Steele likely wasn’t the answer either, but he displayed a lot more talent than Mitchell ever did in KC, and for some reason, the Chiefs seemed to ride with the latter despite him providing little to no usefulness on offense and special teams.