Kenneth Walker III was one of the top free agents on the market in 2026, and his services were desirable to several teams. The Kansas City Chiefs were the team that locked him up to a long-term contract, leading many to believe he was set for a big year, with Andy Reid drawing up plays for him.
However, while the expectations were high upon signing, they may be even higher now, as reports from training camp have been glowing about how he’s looked and how the team plans to utilize him in 2026.
Kenneth Walker III Set to Be a Focal Point of the Chiefs’ Offense in 2026
Walker signed a three-year, $43.05 million contract with the Chiefs, including $28.7 million guaranteed. Last year’s Super Bowl MVP split time with Zach Charbonnet and others throughout his first four years in the NFL, but all reports lead to him being a bell-cow for Kansas City and setting career highs across the board in 2026.
“The Chiefs have loved what they’ve gotten out of free agent Kenneth Walker III, as a complete running back and off-field leader,” wrote Jesse Newell of The Athletic. “It’s led to one of the most striking parts of training camp: They are getting the ball to Walker all the time.”
Walker has scored 31 total touchdowns in his first four years in the NFL, while totaling 3,555 yards as a rusher and 1,005 yards as a receiver on 133 receptions. He ranked as the No. 23 running back in PFN’s Running Back Impact metric (RBi) in 2025, rushing for 1,027 yards and 5 touchdowns, while playing in all 17 games for the first time in his NFL career.
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However, it wasn’t until the postseason that Walker truly exploded in 2025, showing a true glimpse of what a workhorse role could look like for him. In three playoff games, Walker carried the ball 65 times for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns, while adding 9 receptions for 104 yards as a receiver.
Walker has picked up right where he left off with his new team in 2026, looking every bit the part of a workhorse back thus far in training camp.
“Andy Reid opened up his screen-game playbook this summer, and Walker has been the primary target, showing strong receiving skills while even flashing occasional one-handed catches,” Newell added.
“Then in the red zone? Walker has been the main guy again, meaning he should easily eclipse last year’s five-touchdown total if he remains healthy this season.”
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Health has been one of the lone knocks on Walker throughout his career, with 2025 being his first time playing in 17 games. However, while he has been banged up, he has only missed more than two games once in a season and has played in 58 of 68 games since being drafted in the second round out of Michigan State.
While it’s possible that playing in a committee has helped Walker stay healthy, the postseason proved that Walker can produce big numbers if given a large enough workload.
“Though the Chiefs often have alternated backs by series in past seasons, that doesn’t appear to be the plan in 2026,” Newell continued. “Walker should be the workhorse, and he’s primed for a huge year statistically if his body holds up.”
Kansas City is hoping for a healthy year out of Walker, as it looks to bounce back from a down year in 2025 and prove it was nothing more than a blip on the radar.
If Walker lives up to the hype, he could be the missing piece in Kansas City’s offense that helps create balance and not only provide plenty of value on his own but also open up plays down the field for Mahomes, as they haven’t been able to do nearly as effectively since the departure of Tyreek Hill.
