Player
Brashard Smith
RB · Chiefs
A 3rd-string back leading the RB room in receiving volume signals a defined role in the scheme, not a fluke — it means the coaching staff trusts him in passing situations regardless of where he sits on the depth chart.
3rd RB by carries on his own team — but 1st by targets.
TrendKC RB room, 2025 regular season
| Back | Car | RYds | Tgt | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kareem Hunt | 163 | 611 | 25 | 18 | 143 |
| Isiah Pacheco | 118 | 462 | 26 | 19 | 101 |
| Brashard Smith | 44 | 151 | 35 | 25 | 172 |
Smith led all Kansas City running backs in targets (35), receptions (25), and receiving yards (172) as a rookie — despite ranking 3rd in rushing volume. That's a deliberate role: Andy Reid's offense carved out a passing-down spot for the rookie behind Hunt and Pacheco's early-down work.
Why it matters. A 3rd-string back leading the RB room in receiving volume signals a defined role in the scheme, not a fluke — it means the coaching staff trusts him in passing situations regardless of where he sits on the depth chart.
7th in rookie RB receptions — on the fewest carries of any back in the top 9.
Comparison2025 rookie RBs (≥10 targets), ranked by receptions
| Rookie | Car | Tgt | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton Jeanty | 266 | 73 | 55 | 346 |
| RJ Harvey | 146 | 58 | 47 | 356 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | 180 | 42 | 35 | 221 |
| Dylan Sampson | 65 | 40 | 33 | 271 |
| Omarion Hampton | 124 | 35 | 32 | 192 |
| Quinshon Judkins | 230 | 36 | 26 | 171 |
| Brashard Smith | 44 | 35 | 25 | 172 |
Smith ranks 7th in receptions among 2025 rookie RBs — but he's doing it on 44 carries, fewer than every back above him on the list. Jeanty needed 266 carries and Henderson 180 to post similar target volume. Smith's catch rate of 71.4% (25/35) is middle of the class, but his carry-to-reception ratio is in a class of its own.
Why it matters. Volume stats undercount pass-catching specialists; ranking 7th in raw receptions while carrying the ball the fewest times among the top-9 reveals a pure receiving back role rather than an all-purpose back.
Week 7 vs Las Vegas — 14 carries, 5 catches, 81 total yards. The bell-cow look.
SplitBrashard's biggest workload games
| Wk | Opp | Car | RYds | Tgt | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | LV | 14 | 39 | 5 | 5 | 42 |
| 18 | LV | 12 | 56 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| 4 | BAL | 4 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 27 |
| 5 | JAX | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 32 |
Smith's two double-digit-carry games both came against the same opponent (Las Vegas, in Weeks 7 and 18). The Week 7 line — 14 rushes, 5 receptions, 81 scrimmage yards — was the first time as a pro he was used as the lead back. Week 18's 56 rushing yards is his single-game career-high on the ground.
Why it matters. Both bell-cow auditions coming against the same soft matchup reveals the coaching staff's willingness to expand his role situationally, but the single opponent pattern limits how much you can extrapolate.
First career TD came on a reception in Week 17 vs Denver — 0 touchdowns across his first 15 games.
MilestoneSmith caught his first NFL touchdown in Week 17 of 2025 vs Denver — a receiving score after going 0 TDs across 15 games to open his career. The TD-per-touch math is stark: 1 touchdown on 69 touches for the year (44 rushes + 25 receptions). Reid's scheme deployed Smith as a route-runner and third-down back, not a goal-line option — his lone score came in the 17th week of the season.
Why it matters. Going 15 games without a touchdown while logging 69 touches illustrates how completely Andy Reid compartmentalized Smith's role — receiving work without scoring duties, which is rare for a back seeing that many touches.
More receiving yards than rushing yards — only rookie RB with 40+ carries to do it.
Anomaly2025 rookie RBs with 40+ carries: rushing vs receiving yards
| Rookie | Car | RushYds | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brashard Smith | 44 | 151 | 25 | 172 |
| Dylan Sampson | 65 | 175 | 33 | 271 |
| Devin Neal | 57 | 206 | 17 | 104 |
| Omarion Hampton | 124 | 545 | 32 | 192 |
| RJ Harvey | 146 | 540 | 47 | 356 |
| Ashton Jeanty | 266 | 975 | 55 | 346 |
Smith finished 2025 with 172 receiving yards and 151 rushing yards — more yardage from the air than the ground, despite having 44 carries. Among all 2025 rookie RBs with at least 40 carries, Smith and Dylan Sampson are the only two whose receiving yards exceeded their rushing yards. Sampson had 65 carries to Smith's 44, making Smith's ratio the more extreme of the two.
Why it matters. A running back generating more air yards than ground yards over a full season signals the coaches view him primarily as a route-runner, not a ball-carrier — that's an unusual deployment for an RB and shapes his long-term role projection.
25 rookie receptions — most by a KC RB since CEH in 2020.
RareKC RBs: rookie-season receptions since 2017
| Back | Draft Year | Rookie Rec | Rookie Tgt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kareem Hunt | 2017 | 53 | 63 |
| Darrel Williams | 2018 | 3 | 3 |
| Darwin Thompson | 2019 | 9 | 10 |
| Clyde Edwards-Helaire | 2020 | 36 | 54 |
| Isiah Pacheco | 2022 | 13 | 14 |
| Carson Steele | 2024 | 7 | 11 |
| Brashard Smith | 2025 | 25 | 35 |
Smith's 25 rookie receptions are the most by a Kansas City running back in their debut season since Clyde Edwards-Helaire caught 36 in 2020. In the five-year gap between CEH and Smith, KC's rookie backs (Pacheco, Steele) combined for just 20 rookie receptions. Smith's 35 targets as a rookie are also the most in that post-CEH window.
Why it matters. KC has historically funneled rookie RB targets to established veterans; Smith breaking that pattern with 35 targets suggests Reid specifically built a receiving-back role for him from day one, not as an accident of circumstance.
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