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Why Chiefs believe Kenneth Walker can transform their offense

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Blog June 9, 2026
Why Chiefs believe Kenneth Walker can transform their offense


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III wanted to be everywhere in his new environment.

During Wednesday’s OTA practice, Walker, the Chiefs’ biggest acquisition in free agency this offseason, was at the head of the line during individual running back drills. Of course, he wanted to receive every handoff from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. A running back, though, doesn’t have to do what Walker did during breaks.

As the offensive linemen went through one of their pass-blocking drills, Walker hopped in and got down in his stance to help out. Trey Smith, the veteran right guard, roared in appreciation. Walker’s participation gained cheers from the linemen.

“Definitely excited to work with K9,” Smith said, referencing his teammate’s nickname. “He’s awesome, man. Another west Tennessee native, so that’s cool to have one of those guys back there. I know he’s tough.”

Later in the practice, in between periods, Walker joined a group of receivers, working alongside Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton, to run routes inside the red zone.

Walker, 25, kept moving, too. He stayed close to Mahomes so the two could keep chatting through the intricacies of the Chiefs’ offense, including the pre-snap audibles — and the reason behind each one.

“You can tell he truly cares about football, he cares about his teammates,” Mahomes said. “If he’s not in the play, he’s helping the guys on the sideline and he’s trying to learn and [is] asking me questions.”

Since the start of the Chiefs’ offseason program in late April, Walker has done plenty to ingratiate himself with his new teammates and coaches. He understands plenty is going to be required from him this coming season, as the Chiefs — who missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014 — hope to return to form as Super Bowl contenders.

In signing a three-year, $43.05 million deal in March, including $28.7 million fully guaranteed, Walker will be asked to lift the Chiefs’ offense more than any running back before in the Mahomes era, which began in 2018. Under Mahomes, the offense has run almost exclusively through him, resulting in three championships, five Super Bowl appearances and two league MVPs for the QB.

Walker was brought to Kansas City to relieve some of the burden on his superstar quarterback, who is coming off a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee, an injury he suffered in December. Kansas City is hoping Walker will provide the traditional run threat it has mostly lacked since Mahomes became the starter; one capable of carrying the offense when needed and producing the franchise’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2017. Ideally, the Chiefs are hoping Walker’s impact is similar to what happened when Saquon Barkley joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024, helping them to a Super Bowl title in his first season.

But success is no guarantee. To do all that, Walker must prove his standout 2025 season was not a fluke and must do something he has rarely done in his NFL career — carry the load as a feature back and remain healthy for an entire season.

So far, he has impressed. Over the past several weeks, many of the Chiefs have repeated what safety Alohi Gilman said when describing Walker’s personality: He is quiet, unassuming and no-nonsense. Gilman also called Walker a baller.

“He’s a beast, seeing him run the ball,” Gilman said of Walker. “I’ve got a lot of respect for guys like that. They’re just about their business. I think it’ll bring a good energy to this offense. It’s awesome to be his teammate.”

Coach Andy Reid has praised Walker, too, especially the fact that he hasn’t missed a single day of the Chiefs’ offseason program. Although Walker will have to wait until the Sept. 14 season opener against the Denver Broncos to showcase his skills to his new fanbase, several veterans have said he has already inspired them, whether in the weight room, in the film room or on the practice field.

“He’s got a ton of energy, and you can tell he loves to play the game [and] wants to learn what we’re doing here,” Reid said. “He gets that it takes work to be good, and he’s willing to do that. Stronger than an ox. I mean, he’s put together.”

THE CHIEFS COULD have taken a different path to change their roster this offseason.

Reid and general manager Brett Veach knew the offense wasn’t as potent in 2025 as it had been in the past. Plus, Mahomes had just experienced the most significant injury of his career, which led to him having surgery Dec. 15 to repair his left knee.

Some analysts wanted the Chiefs to draft a receiver with their top pick. Others felt they should’ve prioritized the offensive line, particularly at tackle. Instead, the Chiefs focused mostly on defense. They traded All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams days before free agency began because they didn’t want to make him the highest-paid player at his position (he immediately signed a record four-year, $124 million extension with L.A.). Days later, they let fellow cornerback Jaylen Watson leave in free agency, during which he joined McDuffie in Los Angeles. In April’s draft, the Chiefs were the league’s lone team to use its first four picks on defense, including selecting cornerback Mansoor Delane at No. 6.

Walker was the lone major addition on an offense that finished the season 16th in efficiency, 20th in yards per rush, 23rd in yards per play and 25th in rush yards per game.

As a free agent for the first time this offseason, Walker said he chose the Chiefs for a number of reasons. The top reason, though, was simple: Mahomes.

“He’s the best quarterback in the league,” Walker said.

With Walker and Mahomes, the Chiefs now have two former Super Bowl MVPs in their backfield. Since Mahomes’ historic 2018 season, when he led the league with 50 touchdown passes, the Chiefs have never had a feature back capable of carrying the offense at times. The Chiefs signed Walker to be that player.

Last season was Walker’s best, with him recording 1,309 all-purpose yards (22nd in the NFL) and averaging 4.6 yards per rushing attempt (16th) in the regular season — both of which were career highs despite him splitting time with Zach Charbonnet.

When Charbonnet went down with an ACL injury in the divisional round, Walker got stronger — and shouldered a heavier workload — during Seattle’s postseason run. In three playoff games, Walker produced 417 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns.

When the Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX, Walker’s performance — 161 total yards on 29 touches — made him the first running back since Terrell Davis in 1998 to win the Super Bowl MVP award.

Despite Walker’s strong season, putting so much on his shoulders also comes with risk for the Chiefs.

Last year marked the first time in his four-year career that Walker started every game. Over his first three seasons with the Seahawks, Walker had missed a combined 10 games with various injuries — a strained calf, a strained oblique and a sprained ankle. In 2024, he missed five games, experiencing a version of all three injuries, before a left high ankle sprain ended his season in late December as the Seahawks tried to make a playoff run.

Due to a mixture of injuries and the timeshare with Charbonnet, Walker has never exceeded 228 carries in a single season. For reference, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who has also been part of a platoon system over his first three years as a pro, has rushed 240 times twice in his three seasons. Since Walker entered the league, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry leads all rushers with 315.2 carries per season. Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles is second on the list, averaging 291.7 carries.

In his career, including the playoffs, Walker has carried the ball 20 or more times in a game 10 times. And before his 27-carry Super Bowl performance in February, he had not done so since Nov. 3, 2024.

If Walker sustains an injury, or if his production slips with the added workload, the position is thin behind him. Backing him up are Emari Demercado, who has just 126 career carries, rookie Emmett Johnson and second-year runner Brashard Smith (44 career carries).

Walker failing to meet expectations would likely shift the bulk of the pressure to carry the Chiefs’ offense back to Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, who at 36 is the unit’s oldest player.

But few in Kansas City have been thinking about those eventualities this spring.

Two weeks ago, in the early minutes of one of the OTA practices, Walker walked up to Mahomes, extending his right arm. The two men hugged. Walker then patted Mahomes’ helmet, knowing it was the quarterback’s first week back on the practice field since his injury.

“First off, he’s a great dude,” Mahomes said. “That’s the first thing I noticed. He’s going to help us a lot on this team, by his mindset and the player that he is.”

MAHOMES WATCHED THE 2025 playoffs from an unlikely place — his couch. And he always watched the Seahawks.

Every time Walker made a big play, Mahomes sent a text message to Veach.

In the divisional round against the San Francisco 49ers, Walker flashed his speed on a stretch play from the left hashmark. None of the 49ers could touch Walker, who scored a 15-yard touchdown and finished the play by leaping into the end zone.

“Did you see that play?”

The next week, in Seattle’s win over the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, Walker’s best snap was near the goal line. When quarterback Sam Darnold handed the ball to him, the Rams had three unblocked defenders in front of him. With a sharp cut to the right, Walker used his quickness to bounce to the outside, outrunning the defenders to the pylon for a 2-yard touchdown.

“Did you see that play?!”

In the Super Bowl, Walker kept evading the Patriots. He became the first player with more than 100 scrimmage yards in the first half of a Super Bowl since former Rams receiver Torry Holt did it in Super Bowl XXXIV.

“If we could get Walker in our offense…”

Mahomes and Veach were thinking alike. Veach said he felt the easiest way the Chiefs’ offense could become more dangerous was by acquiring a dynamic running back like Walker — a player who can make plays without Mahomes’ help.

In the evaluation process before the draft, the Chiefs flirted with the idea of acquiring Jeremiyah Love, the Notre Dame running back who impressed them in interviews. Love was ultimately selected with the third pick by the Arizona Cardinals. Before free agency began, a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking said the Chiefs expressed some interest in veterans such as Travis Etienne Jr. and Breece Hall.

But Walker, whose greatest appeal was in his speed and his ability to hit big plays, was the Chiefs’ top target.

“When he squares his shoulders, he runs with power [and] runs with violence but also has some elusive qualities,” Veach said. “When you combine a back like that, and you have as talented an inside three [offensive linemen] as you do, it would make sense to want to go out there and impose your will on other teams’ defensive lines.”

The Chiefs once had a speedy running back in Isiah Pacheco, the 2022 seventh-round pick who helped the team become the NFL’s first repeat champion in two decades.

But Pacheco never regained his top form in a Chiefs uniform after breaking the fibula in his right leg in Week 2 of the 2024 season. Kareem Hunt, a bulldozing running back who turned 30 last August, rejoined the Chiefs after Pacheco’s injury. Whether Mahomes handed the ball to Pacheco or Hunt last season, the Chiefs’ backfield lacked explosion. Over the past two years, the Chiefs ranked last in the league in percentage of runs that went for more than 10 yards. Kansas City was also the only team in the NFL last season not to have a running back average 4.0 yards per carry. Pacheco and Hunt combined for only one rushing attempt that gained more than 20 yards, which also ranked last.

In fact, since Mahomes became the starter, he leads the Chiefs with 2,655 rushing yards — 118 more yards than Pacheco (who joined the Lions in March) during his four years.

The lack of explosive runs from the running backs was in part because they struggled to break free whenever they reached the second level of the opposing defense. The Chiefs are betting Walker will change that. Last season, he forced a missed tackle on 30.2% of his touches, the third-highest rate among running backs in the NFL who had a minimum of 150 touches, according to Next Gen Stats, and was fourth in percentage of runs that gained 10 or more yards. However, he averaged 1.74 yards after contact per rush, which was 42nd among 49 qualified players, according to ESPN Research.

“It’ll be beneficial for Pat,” Veach said. “I don’t think we want him back there dropping back 50 times a game to start the season. That is going to be something we’re looking forward to, and certainly with [offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy] coming back here, with his running back roots, there’s going to be a high priority with that run game.”

New England Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga got a firsthand look at Walker’s strength in the Super Bowl. Walker forced nine missed tackles to accumulate an additional 79 yards, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Before that game, the Patriots didn’t allow more than 35 yards to any player after missed tackles.

“He’s a dawg,” Tonga, who joined the Chiefs in March, said of Walker. “I’m super, super happy to be able to be his teammate. He’s super smart, he’s very patient and he hits the holes when it’s there. He can start in the A-gap and go all the way down to the C-gap and go all the way to the sideline.

“He’s going to be a fun player to watch, and I’m glad I’m on his side.”

Although the Seahawks wanted to retain Walker, they were unwilling to make him one of the league’s highest-paid players at his position.

“I’m super happy for him,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of Walker in late March at the league meetings. “It’s not been an even road for him the entire time, some of the things he’s dealt with healthwise. He played great football for us. Him and I got to spend some time [right after the Super Bowl] and had a great conversation. He’s a great dude. I’m really excited for him [in Kansas City].”

Once it became clear the Seahawks weren’t going to re-sign him, Walker said he and his father agreed that the best next chapter in his career was joining the Chiefs.

“It’s a winning culture, watching over the years,” Walker said. “They’ve been to plenty of Super Bowls. You feel appreciated and wanted. That’s what everybody wants. I’m just trying to get another [Super Bowl ring].”

EARLY IN WEDNESDAY’S practice, Walker got into his usual stance. Across from Walker was Bieniemy, the coordinator who rejoined the Chiefs after spending last season as the Chicago Bears’ running backs coach. A former NFL running back who had a productive nine-year career, Bieniemy got into his stance, which was in the left A gap while Mahomes was about to start the drill as if he was under center.

Bieniemy wanted to watch every detail of Walker’s footwork as he approached the line of scrimmage from a moderate tempo. Once Walker was close to him, Bieniemy hopped to the left, forcing the running back to execute a jump cut before sprinting through the running lane.

Such a small moment Wednesday offered a glimpse of what the Chiefs’ revamped running scheme can be.

Reid hired Bieniemy to help rejuvenate the Chiefs’ rushing attack in 2026. How that part of the offense will look — and what changes will be implemented — is one of the team’s most fascinating subplots. Although they haven’t revealed any exact details — and most of the Chiefs’ OTA practices are passing sessions — Reid and Bieniemy have each expressed that the running scheme will have some differences. Walker has already shared his running style preference, too.

“My favorite is under [center],” Walker said on the “Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams.” Walker later added: “I can see the field better. But whatever system they want me in, or situation they put me in, I feel like I can make a play.”

With Bieniemy’s tutelage in Chicago, the Bears last season had the league’s second-best rushing offense, with running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai having standout years. Swift recorded a career-high 1,087 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns. As a rookie, Monangai generated 947 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns. A major reason why Swift and Monangai had success is because Bieniemy and coach Ben Johnson, according to ESPN analysts Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky, put together one of the league’s most creative, varied rushing schemes — an offense that included clever shifts, motions and counter-attacking runs.

When Bieniemy was the Chiefs’ coordinator from 2018-2022, he did a similar thing with Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck, which helped lead to successful moments for runners such as Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Damien Williams. Together again, the trio is starting to experiment with what works best with Walker’s skills.

“He’s very competitive,” Bieniemy said of Walker. “He does not take anything for granted. He’s very professional in the classroom — and he hates being wrong. You love all of that about him. Now, it’s just about making sure he has the what’s, the why’s and how’s down on how we’re going to get him to be the player that we need him to be.

“We’re working on him being the efficient runner that we want him to be within our scheme. He’s doing a heck of a job. It’s been very satisfying.”

With Bieniemy in 2022, the Chiefs led the league in yards per play (8.3) while under center. Last year, the Chiefs ran the ball on just 41% of their snaps, which ranked 27th. Of the 358 designed runs the Chiefs had last season — which ranked 30th in the league — just 156 were under center (29th in the league).

One of the Chiefs’ main personnel groups with Mahomes at quarterback has been 11 personnel — three receivers with a running back and usually Kelce. Most opponents have matched with nickel or dime personnel. As a result, when handing the ball off to a running back, the Chiefs have faced seven or more defenders in the box 66% of the time — fourth-lowest in the league.

“One of the things with Walker that I feel was underplayed a little bit was while he didn’t face a lot of light [defensive] personnel groupings, because the Seahawks put heavy bodies on the field, over the second half of the season, after they acquired [receiver] Rashid Shaheed, you saw the Seahawks [shotgun] run game with three receivers on the field improve a lot,” Kimes said on her podcast in March. “He had room to run. When I look at Kansas City now, I like the offensive line.”

In April, Veach said he wants Walker to be featured in the offense because he believes the Chiefs’ interior linemen — Smith, center Creed Humphrey and left guard Kingsley Suamataia — are above-average run blockers.

“Those guys up front are going to do a great job,” Walker said of the Chiefs’ linemen. “I watched them on film.”

One way Reid and Bieniemy could try to weaponize Walker’s speed and quickness is on stretch plays from under center and outside zone plays from shotgun. In 2022, the Chiefs averaged 5.8 yards on such plays with a success rate of 46%, which ranked ninth. With the Seahawks last season, Walker averaged 5.3 yards on runs outside of the tackles, which also ranked ninth.

Mitch Morse, a former Chiefs center who played under Reid and Bieniemy, is eager to see how well Walker and the trio of Smith, Humphrey and Suamataia work together, particularly once the weather gets cold.

“What’s interesting about the NFL is you can have the same starting five offensive linemen from one year to another and that year prior your most efficient run was that mid zone,” Morse said. “That next year, that could be your fourth-most efficient. Sometimes it’s just kind of the way it goes. You turn into that pin-and-pull team. It’s just how it is.

“The sign of a really good coach is adjusting and these little tweaks and how you get there. Who is involved outside the box? What shifts or motions [are being employed]? What is the defense seeing, big picture, before you do it?”

With plenty of options available to them, the Chiefs are hoping the ultimate outcome is a more balanced attack on offense.

“Obviously, we have the best quarterback — and you’ve got to be able to run the ball, early and often,” DeMarco Murray, the Chiefs’ new running backs coach, said last week. “We’re going to pride ourselves on that. Starting with Ken, he’s very versatile and he’s done a really good job at being a great leader, vocally as well as by example.”

ONE OF WALKER’S boldest statements as a Chief occurred hours after he signed his contract.

“I think I can get a lot better,” he said. “I just want to be a better player.”

Reid and Bieniemy are particularly equipped to help. The night he signed his deal, Walker had dinner at a restaurant with the two coaches. Walker quickly discovered both coaches were full of creativity and intensity when discussing the sport.

“He was talking about stuff that I did wrong on the field and talking about everything I need to be detailed at,” Walker said of Bieniemy on the “Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams.” Walker later added: “I knew what I was getting into when I met him. He wants the best for everybody. That’s good when you want to get better.”

In the past two weeks, and continuing when the Chiefs begin training camp in late July, Reid and Bieniemy have worked with Walker on perfecting non-running techniques — his footwork before a screen pass, his hand placement when blocking, his understanding of space when running routes.

“I know exactly what he’s capable of when the ball is in his hands,” Bieniemy said of Walker. “When the ball is not in his hands, what value is he going to add? We have to do a great job of protecting the quarterback. We have to do a great job of being a route runner on the perimeter.”

Even this early in the process, the Chiefs believe that Walker’s ability as a pass catcher might be an under-appreciated skill. In Wednesday practice, the Chiefs ran a sophisticated screen pass. When Walker caught the ball, his speed and vision in the open field led to Smith and Humphrey to have the same reaction: “Wooooo!”

In the two practices open to reporters, Walker has caught every pass from Mahomes and backup quarterback Justin Fields, even when the ball was not placed in the ideal spot, including one in which he made a leaping, one-handed catch.

Walker has captured the Chiefs’ collective imagination of potential as an all-purpose threat. Perhaps Walker could become an easy checkdown solution for Mahomes, similar to Kelce against zone coverage. Maybe Walker can simplify the Chiefs’ red zone offense, helping them score more touchdowns (the unit finished 14th in red zone touchdown percentage last season). And presumably, Walker will end the Chiefs’ 1,000-yard drought, recorded when Hunt was a rookie.

Even with the season more than three months away, Mahomes is eager to see just how much Walker can accomplish in his first year with the Chiefs.

“He’s a great player,” Mahomes said of Walker. “It’s special, the way he’s able to run the ball, catch the ball [and] do everything.”

ESPN NFL Nation reporter Brady Henderson contributed to this report.





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