The addition of Kenneth Walker should make a huge difference for the Chiefs offense.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ biggest move this offseason was signing Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker to a three-year deal. Bringing Walker in gives the Chiefs’ backfield a major boost and, hopefully, for the first time since early in Patrick Mahomes’ career, Kansas City will have a legitimate run game to help take the pressure off their superstar quarterback.
Nate Taylor, the Chiefs beat writer for ESPN, recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and broke down specifically how Walker is going to help K.C.
“There were a number of factors when it comes to Kenneth Walker, though, at least what we saw in the offseason program,” Taylor said. “He has the explosion. He has the vision and what the Chiefs like is that he can make people miss in the second level of the defense, right? The linebackers, the safeties. That was something that the Chiefs missed so much last year was not only just explosive plays, but being able to break tackles or evade defenders who were coming at a certain angle where it put more of the pressure on Mahomes.”
It’s not hard to see why the Chiefs were excited about Walker’s presence in the offense. Having a good run game means Mahomes won’t have to play hero ball every snap, and it will keep defenses a little more honest—something that hasn’t been the case in recent years.
The Chiefs also didn’t have a running back like Walker recently. Isiah Pacheco regressed, and Kareem Hunt showed his age a bit more. A move like this was needed not only to help Mahomes as he comes back from injury, but to open up the offense in general. Kansas City’s attack had grown stale.
Hopefully, Andy Reid makes running the ball a priority and doesn’t abandon it late in games the way he’s been prone to do at times. The Chiefs need to be a team that can run the ball effectively, and Walker absolutely will help them do that.