The Chiefs’ running backs so far are getting a do-over.

Amid the breakdowns and disruptions of a 2-14 season, it was hard to know exactly what to make of the Chiefs’ backs. But it’s clear that coach Todd Haley wants to see more of them because the same cast is back.

It’s also clear that he didn’t consider his backs in need of an immediate overhaul because the lone runner drafted was Javarris Williams in the seventh round. Except for the secondary, the running backs are the Chiefs’ least changed area from 2008, when the team ranked 16th in the NFL in rushing yardage.

“I’m excited about our backs,” Haley said. “I think we have a nice mix of different guys and different styles.”

Larry Johnson, who’s struggled the past two seasons to regain his Pro Bowl form, is a power runner. Jamaal Charles was drafted in 2008 as a third-down back whose explosiveness and pass catching would complement Johnson.

Kolby Smith used his quickness to enjoy a 150-yard game against the Raiders in his first start late in the 2007 season, but a knee injury last year set him back. Dantrell Savage, 5 feet 8 and 182, made the team mainly as a kick returner.

Chiefs’ backs had to go with the flow a year ago. Just seven games into the season, injuries to the top two quarterbacks prompted a switch to a spread offense.

The spread requires backs to run laterally instead of straight ahead, and quarterback Tyler Thigpen, with 62 carries, did much of the running. His 386 rushing yards and three touchdowns ranked behind only Johnson’s 874 yards and five touchdowns.

Don’t expect so much running by Chiefs’ quarterbacks in 2009, though Matt Cassel, the projected starter, ran 73 times for 270 yards and two touchdowns for the Patriots last year.

Cassel, too, was most effective operating from a spread, but he doesn’t run nearly as well as Thigpen. The Chiefs no doubt will want him to run much less to give routes more time to develop and cut down on the punishment he takes.

Cassel’s ability to reproduce his break-out season in New England would be boosted immensely by a running game that strikes a healthy balance for the offense.

“We have a good group of guys,” Smith said.

”I’m sure they saw the talent of the people here. It’s the same offense as last year, we’re familiar with the scheme. We just have to execute better.”

Haley and his staff will have to evaluate where Johnson, who turns 30 in November, stands at this stage of his career; whether Smith appears ready to rebound; and if Williams, drafted for his nice combination of size and speed, can compete for carries.

Charles, 5 feet 11 and 205, has added five pounds from a year ago and seeks a heavier workload as well. With 67 carries for 357 yards, 27 catches and 15 kickoff returns, his rookie role was smaller than anticipated.

“I think I’ll be getting the ball more, at least 11 times a game,” he said. “They wanted me to get bigger and stronger and I’ve been doing that.”

With all Chiefs backs competing for more carries, Smith isn’t assuming they’re all assured of sticking around in their old familiar roles.

“We don’t look at it like that because every year, at this time of year, changes are going to be made,” he said.

“Someone’s going to leave the group or somebody’s going to be added. They’re going to do whatever they have to do to make the team better.”