The Kansas City Chiefs recently agreed to terms with running back DeAndre Washington on a one-year deal. That deal has since been made official by Kansas City. Washington joins a crowded backfield, but his familiarity with Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and OC Eric Bieniemy could give him an advantage in making the team.
Washington spoke to the Kansas City media for the first time in a conference call on Wednesday. Here are four things the Chiefs Kingdom should know about their newest player:
Washington and Mahomes are close
You’ve certainly heard by now that Washington and Mahomes played together at Texas Tech from 2014-15. When Mahomes came in as a freshman, Washington was already a junior for the Red Raiders. At first, Washington didn’t really know what to expect out of Mahomes. But he quickly realized how special Pat was, that he had the “it” factor.
“[It was] kind of a similar excitement [to what it is now],” Washington told reporters of playing with Mahomes. “It was kind of weird because when Pat came in we had Baker Mayfield and another quarterback named Davis Webb at the time. So, it was pretty intense watching all three of those guys at practice. You know, one went on to win the Heisman and three ended up getting drafted, so it was a good feelings being able to play with all of those guys. It was exciting. Pat does some things that you can’t coach. Being able to play with and experience that during college was definitely a fun experience.”
Even in the NFL, Washington remained friendly with Mahomes. He claims to have been one of his biggest supporters when Mahomes decided to come out for the NFL Draft because of the things he saw at Texas Tech.
When it came to making a decision during this free agency period, Washington spoke to Mahomes in confidence, trying to find out as much as he could about Kansas City and the team. Without those conversations, it’s possible that Washington would have ended up on another team.
“When I was getting down to it, I called him and just kind of got some insight, a perspective on what he enjoyed the most from some things outside of football that we talked about,” Washington said. “Once I told him I was interested, he was definitely on board and trying to get me in… We had a few conversations prior to the decision and after talking with him, I felt a lot more comfortable about making that decision.”
He’s from Houston, Texas and is currently there for the offseason
Washington is a native of Houston, Texas — so we know where he lies in the Texas vs. Georgia high school football debate.
“I’m actually in Houston, Texas, right now,” Washington told reporters. “It’s not too bad out here. I have a gym that I work out at, and I do a lot of things on my own trying to keep with the social distancing. I’m from Houston, so I usually come back out to Houston during the offseason.”
With a virtual offseason in place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be a while before Washington makes his first trip to Kansas City. Thankfully, he’s set up to get some work done during the offseason.
We’ll have to ask him about whether he thinks Texas or Kansas City barbecue is better once he arrives.
He’s familiar with the Chiefs Kingdom
Playing for the Oakland Raiders, Washington is very familiar with Kansas City. He faced the Chiefs two times a year since 2016 and he’s been on the losing end of that battle all but once. He remembers the excitement surrounding the rivalry and now he’ll get a chance to be on the other side of it.
“It’s a division game, so it’s definitely one of those games that when you’re on the opposing team you want to get up for, especially being in the division,” Washington said. “So, having the chance these last four years to come to Chiefs Kingdom and play against you guys it was always an incredible environment. The fans were always top-notch and made it an exciting game. From my memories, it was always exciting playing against the Chiefs and something I definitely looked forward to during my time in Oakland.”
Washington actually drew his first career start against Kansas City in Week 6 of the 2016 season. During that game, he had 10 carries for 49 yards.
He’s excited for the opportunity to work with Andy Reid
Washington is really excited to get a chance to work with Big Red in Kansas City. He’s been a fan of his, and the running backs that he’s coached, for a very long time. Now he gets a chance to learn from someone that he has a tremendous amount of respect for.
