From Jamaal Charles to Charcandrick West to Spencer Ware to Kareem Hunt to Damien Williams. The Kansas City backfield has provided a parade of productive running backs. One goes down, another steps in and barely misses a beat.

We entered this season with a tentative expectation of reliance on Williams. Yet the team kept making moves that could only be read as attempts to replace Williams. They used a sixth-round draft pick on Darwin Thompson. No sweat, the team won’t feel obligated to force work upon a sixth-rounder, and though some deep picks work out, most don’t. For every Phillip Lindsay, there are a dozen like Jordan Wilkins.

Then, the Chiefs signed veteran Carlos Hyde. No worries. Anyone who saw Hyde last season for the Browns and later for the Jaguars wasn’t too concerned about him stealing work from Williams.

Soon, Hyde was jettisoned, landing in Houston — where he has surprised with his agility if not his numbers. Soon after, the Chiefs picked up LeSean McCoy, discarded by the Bills. Another retread who looked spent last season. But … with McCoy’s knowledge of coach Andy Reid’s system, the first real Williams worries set in. Week 1 came, and those fears were confirmed when they had almost an even split in carries.

It got worse in Week 2, when Williams got just 8 yards on nine carries before leaving in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. He won’t play Sunday, and now a team that had been looking to replace Williams is forced to replace Williams.

This clears the path for a full load for McCoy, right? Well, not exactly. Remember, McCoy isn’t what you would call youthful. He has a limited role in the passing game — with just four catches for 12 yards on four targets in two games.

Enter Thompson. Remember him? The sixth-round pick we weren’t worried about? Well, he is going to get an opportunity this week. And whatever we might have thought about Thompson before — too small, late-round pick who isn’t highly coveted, isn’t going to leapfrog Williams on the depth chart based on performance — well, all those things are now in flux, based on how Thompson does.

Maybe they just use him on passing downs, you say? Perhaps, but also factor in that McCoy is nursing a sore ankle. He might not even be 100 percent. Pair that with the fact the Ravens are among the top five stingiest against opposing running backs, after being the second-toughest last season.

As a running back, you stand a better chance gaining through the air than on the ground against the Ravens. And Thompson is the guy who will get that chance this week.

Here’s the worst news of all: If Thompson does well, if he does what every other Chiefs running back has done in recent memory (which is, produce), he could continue to get work once Williams is healthy. Remember, they have been trying to find his replacement.

An injury might have just fulfilled that goal.