Kansas City Chiefs RB Emmett Johnson has made the most of his opportunities through the first two weeks of the 2026 NFL season.

The fifth-round pick has played 43 offensive snaps between Week 1 against the Denver Broncos and Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts. While he hasn’t been on the field nearly as much as starting RB Kenneth Walker, Johnson has impressed with 14 touches for 103 yards. None of the rookie’s touches have resulted in a negative play.

His highlight plays in Week 2 against the Colts earned praise from Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. He told reporters they expect a nice balance between Walker and Johnson as the season goes on. That all starts with the rookie continuing to build upon his first two games of NFL action.

Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy sees a right way and a wrong way to bring up young players like Emmett Johnson

Reid isn’t the only one who’s expecting that balance, though.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy discussed the give-and-take between using Walker and using rookie Johnson. While Bieniemy is expecting continued progress and growth from Johnson, he’s also wary of putting him in a bad spot.

“You know what? It’s always a balance, and the thing is, we just want to continue to make sure we’re bringing our players along the right way,” Bieniemy said. “Emmett (Johnson) has done an outstanding job when given that opportunity to go out there and provide, you know, Kenneth (Walker), the rest. Demarco’s doing a great job with him. I think Emmett will continue to grow as the season progresses.”

There’s a right way and a wrong way to develop young players in the NFL. On one hand, you don’t want to overwhelm them. On the other, you want them to know exactly what it takes to win. That means more than just what goes into game day. The preparation and mental mastery that go into weekly prep matter just as much.

“The thing that you don’t want to do, regardless of when you got when you’re raising some of these young players, you don’t want to put them in a situation where it could be detrimental to them,” Bieniemy explained. “You want them feeling free and confident. But also, they’ve got to go out there and learn the lessons of understanding what it takes to win in this league. But I think more than anything, we just want to continue bringing him along the correct way, and I think that growth process is heading in the right direction, so we’ll make sure that we’re utilizing the time, you know, as far as what Kenneth is playing and what Emmett is playing, as we continue to progress throughout the season.”

DeMarco Murray says it comes down to trust

Reid and Bieniemy aren’t the only ones pleased with what Johnson has done through two weeks. The coach with say on Walker off the field and putting Johnson into the game is running backs coach DeMarco Murray. Murray said it’s less about what Walker and Johnson are doing individually. It’s more about his trust in taking Walker off the field and putting Johnson in his place.

“Yeah, I think it’s more of a feel for me,” Murray told reporters. “You know, obviously I want Kenneth (Walker) to get in the groove, and you know it’s hard to. Since you guys have seen these first two games, it’s hard to kind of take him out. And but Emmett (Johnson) has done a great job, and he’s still learning. He’s still getting a ton of reps, so he’ll continue to get more opportunities. You know, I just got to pull the trigger and get No. 9 out of there and put 10 in there. But again, everything we’ve asked Emmett to do-from special teams to blocking to catching the ball out of the backfield, as well as running — he’s done an unbelievable job.”

As long as Johnson keeps doing everything the coaching staff has asked of him, he’ll be set up for success. That’s both preparation and execution on the field. If he maintains pace, he should carve out a larger role as the season progresses.

Kansas City has the blueprint to make this backfield work

The Chiefs have plenty of ways to get both Walker and Johnson involved, including two-running-back sets. They can simply rotate the two players to help keep each other fresh, in a running-back-by-committee situation. Walker is no stranger to being in a strong running back room with a rotation, having worked alongside Zach Charbonnet with the Seattle Seahawks over the last several seasons. If the pair in Kansas City can emulate the success Walker and Charbonnet had in Seattle, they should be in a good spot for the 2026 NFL season and beyond.