Kenneth Walker III has rejuvenated the Kansas City Chiefs offense, bringing a tackle-breaking ground element that had been missing. The Chiefs, however, know they mustn't grind the RB into the ground.
Coach Andy Reid said this week the club would like to reduce Walker's workload "a little bit."
Heading into Week 3, Walker led the NFL with 290 rushing yards and 369 scrimmage yards in 2026 (two touchdowns); after Thursday Night Football, Bijan Robinson now leads with 349 and 467, respectively.
Walker's rushing yard tally marks the most by any NFL player through two weeks since C.J. Spiller in 2012 (292). Walker is on pace for 2,465 rush yards, which would be an NFL record by 360 yards. He's also tied with Jahmyr Gibbs with 56 scrimmage touches.
"We're lucky to have him," running backs coach DeMarco Murray said Thursday, via ESPN. "He's a great leader and he's done a great job for us. He's prepared himself for this [workload] since [the] spring. Coach Reid puts a great [training] camp together, and the long-drive drill is legendary around here. (Walker) likes the ball a lot."
Walker's 369 scrimmage yards are the second-most by a player in his first two games with a team in the Super Bowl era (only Billy Sims had more with the Lions). The back has forced 29 missed tackles in 2026, per Next Gen Stats (most through two weeks in NGS era).
The key is balance and ensuring Walker, who never played a full 17-game slate before last season, remains healthy.
To that end, the Chiefs plan to give rookie Emmett Johnson, who has also flashed tackle-breaking acumen, more run.
"We just want to continue to make sure we're bringing our [rookies] along the right way," offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said Thursday. "Emmett's role is to continue to grow as the season progresses. What you don't want to do, when you're raising some of these young players, is put them in a situation where it could be detrimental to them. You want them feeling free and confident."
Through two games, Johnson has generated 10 rushes for 39 yards and four catches for 64 yards (103 scrimmage yards). The plan is to get the rookie more carries, starting with Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.
"I want Kenneth to get into a groove, and it's hard to kind of take him out," Murray said. "But Emmett's done a great job and he's still learning. He'll continue to get more opportunities. I've just got to pull the trigger and get No. 9 (Walker) out of there and put No. 10 (Johnson) in there."
