The Kansas City Chiefs made a big bet on Kenneth Walker III, and early on, it looks like money well spent.
Walker has already done more on the ground than his old team. In four games with Kansas City, he has 87 carries for 537 yards.
Seattle, through five games, has managed 530 rushing yards on 139 carries. That gap has grown large enough to turn the conversation from skepticism to second-guessing.
Seattle’s answer at running back was supposed to be a smooth transition. The Seahawks had Zach Charbonnet lined up behind Walker, and they also drafted Jadarian Price out of Notre Dame to help replace what Walker had been giving them. But Price is now on injured reserve with a chest injury, and before that, he was averaging just 39.7 yards per game in three appearances.
That left Seattle thin against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, and the result showed it. Emanuel Wilson and George Holani handled the backfield duties and combined for 24 carries and 68 yards, a modest 2.8 yards per rush.
Walker, meanwhile, has been rolling. He’s averaging 134.3 yards per game, which leads the league, and he has emerged as one of the sport’s top playmakers in the opening stretch. Based on those early returns, he’s at least in the MVP conversation.
As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk pointed out, the Seahawks could have used that kind of production in their loss to San Francisco.
It’s still early enough that nobody has to stamp a final verdict on Seattle’s decision to move on, but the warning signs are there. The offseason calculus was part of the larger balancing act teams face after a Super Bowl run, when tough roster calls come with the territory.
For Kansas City, the fit has been immediate. Andy Reid looked at defenses dropping linebackers and safeties into coverage and not respecting the play-action game, and Walker became the answer.
The Chiefs also had to shuffle their cap space to make the move happen. One decision they did not make was restructuring defensive tackle Chris Jones’ contract, and that could end up being the choice they wish they had made.
Still, with Walker producing and the Chiefs sitting on four wins, the early payoff is obvious. Kansas City has found a way to lighten the burden on Patrick Mahomes, and that may be the most important result of all.
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Chiefs Trade Idea Would Fix A Big Need And Sting A Rival
With the bye week behind them, the Chiefs are moving back toward the field with a clear eye on the trade deadline, and the appeal is obvious: help a defense that has struggled badly to get after the quarterback. Kansas City enters the stretch as a buyer, and any move aimed at boosting a pass rush that sits last in sacks would immediately become one of the most practical ways to steady the second half of the season.
One name that has surfaced fits both the football need and the AFC West drama. Khalil Mack is still a nine-time Pro Bowler, and his situation with the Chargers has made him a possible fit for a team looking for a proven edge presence without a long-term commitment. For Kansas City, the attraction is not just the help he could provide, but the chance to make a rival weaker while trying to solve a glaring weakness of its own. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs May Need Kahlil Benson For More Than Just Left Tackle
Josh Simmons back injury has already forced the Chiefs to adjust at left tackle for the first four games, and Kahlil Benson has been the one keeping that spot steady in the meantime. Even with Simmons sidelined and no official timetable in sight, Bensons value to Kansas City may go beyond simply filling in on the edge, especially for a line that has had to manage its depth carefully as the season unfolds.
Benson has taken guard work as well, and that kind of flexibility can matter for a Chiefs front that still needs answers on the interior. If and when Simmons is ready to return, the conversation may not just be about who protects the blind side, but about where Benson fits best when the tackle picture settles down. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Kelce Finally Came Around On One Chiefs Drill
Travis Kelce has never been shy about the little irritants that show up in training camp, and one of his longtime pet peeves has been the Peanut Punch defenders use to try to jar the ball loose after catches. It is the kind of drill offensive players tend to hate when they are on the receiving end, especially when it keeps showing up in practice and forces everyone to play through the same sweaty, repetitive stress of ball security work.
Kelce said his view on the tactic has started to soften after seeing it work in a real game, the kind of moment that can make an old gripe look a lot more reasonable. He also brought up a recent Kenneth Walker touchdown run in the conversation, part of a broader acknowledgment that a technique can feel annoying in camp and still be valuable when it turns into an actual turnover on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]