The Kansas City Chiefs made a significant change in the backfield on Monday morning, placing veteran Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the team’s non-football injured list (NFI). With the move, the Chiefs will be without Edwards-Helaire for at least the next four games and will have to re-order their expectations for the team’s running backs going forward.

That means there are some changes coming for the players involved, especially as the Baltimore Ravens visit the Chiefs at Arrowhead on Thursday night, kicking off the entire NFL regular season.

Week 1 is upon us, and Edwards-Helaire being out for a few weeks means the Chiefs will have to sort things out on the fly, so to speak. Isiah Pacheco is the lead back, and his spot isn’t in dispute, which adds some stability to the situation overall. From there, though, things get really interesting for a few reasons.

1. Edwards-Helaire is the only other player on the active roster with significant experience in Andy Reid’s offense. The fifth-year running back was signed to an additional year this spring with the intention of serving as the primary backup to Pacheco and any other player brought in to replace Jerick McKinnon. Now that goal is gone.

2. Carson Steele made the active roster as a feel-good story, a rookie free agent out of UCLA who leapfrogged many competitors to get to the Chiefs. However, he is as inexperienced as can be, it’s a big jump from the preseason to the regular season, and many training camp heroes have failed when given significant assignments.

3. Samaje Perine is the other option on the roster right now, a longtime NFL veteran with the Bengals and Broncos who was just brought in as a third-down back. His experience should allow him a smoother transition than others, but it’s still notable that he was hired by a contender a week ago.

Pacheco appears to be healthy and should be able to carry the bulk of the team’s offense against the Ravens. For those who thought someone like Carson Steele might be able to get a chance to play here and there in garbage time, the script may be a little different now.

Against the Ravens, Pacheco and Perine will be used in the backfield, but there’s little doubt that the Chiefs’ lead captain will have to be substituted here and there, and that means Steele will likely be swapped in and out on occasion. He might even get a series or two.

The only back with a rushing attempt in the AFC Championship game between the Ravens and Chiefs was Ewards-Helaire, and that was just once. So it’s possible the Chiefs will again rely heavily on Pacheco to get the job done in his absence. But the team also knows the stakes are high. Away From Week 1 to the conference title game, everything is different, and there are long-term prospects. That means Pacheco gets his rest and Steele gets his chances.

Who would have expected something like this for Carson Steele in early May?