Kansas City Chiefs should see some immediate return on investment from a big decision they made in the offseason
The Kansas City Chiefs immediately went out and got the player they needed and wanted in free agency.
The Kansas City Chiefs ended their season and immediately knew what they needed to do to help Patrick Mahomes moving forward. When you look at Mahomes’ stats from this past year, without context, you’d think he wasn’t very good.
And, he will be the first to tell you that he made far too many bad plays last season, because that’s true. But he did not have the help he needed. The injuries on the offensive line made it impossible to be consistent.
The offensive woes stemmed from that, the receiver room, and a lack of run game. The run game was maybe the biggest issue, and so they immediately addressed it. The Chiefs went out and signed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker. And they should start seeing some immediate return on investment in 2026.
ESPN’s Nate Taylor picks Kenneth Walker as biggest impact signing
“Which offseason move will have the biggest impact on next season? This answer has to be running back Kenneth Walker III, the Chiefs’ lone significant acquisition in the offseason. A year ago, the Chiefs’ running backs were a historical disappointment. Kareem Hunt was the lone player to have a rushing attempt that went for more than 20 yards, and Hunt recorded only one. Walker — the reigning Super Bowl MVP — should add a boost to the offense with his ability to create highlight plays through his speed, elusiveness, and vision in the open field.” – Nate Taylor, ESPN
Kenneth Walker is a playmaker. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t had a dynamic running back like Walker ever in his career. And, he makes defenders miss rather than just running them over, unlike Kareem Hunt. But Hunt still got the job done in the short-yardage areas when they needed it most. Walker forced 24 missed tackles, good enough for sixth-most in the league, and then he broke 27 tackles, eighth-most in the league.
The Chiefs did not do a great job of making teams miss them in the run game last year. There weren’t many extra yards gained in a lot of those situations. They had the fifth-fewest broken tackles and the fewest forced missed tackles. Having Walker should immediately change the offense and help relieve Mahomes.