The Kansas City Chiefs have made Kenneth Walker III among the best running backs in the NFL through two weeks simply by feeding him the football at a higher rate than he ever saw splitting carries as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, but that isn’t necessarily going to last forever.
Walker’s usage rate has been relatively ridiculous through two weeks, with 47 carries and nine receptions for 56 total touches. When factoring in his 16 targets in the passing game, Kansas City has racked up 63 intended touches for the RB, which is 31.5 intended touches per game.
The Chiefs spent big on Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, in the offseason, though his three-year and $43 million deal is starting to look like a bargain at this point. So it makes sense to put him to work. But Kansas City also added running back Emmett Johnson to the offensive backfield in the fifth round of April’s draft.
Johnson has put his stamp on the Chiefs’ 2-0 start early in the season, and most teams orchestrate some type of workload split between their top two backs anyway.
Kansas City has the talent and incentive to do so, especially given Walker’s past injury history. He missed a total of 10 games across his first four professional seasons.
Andy Reid Plans to Involve Rookie Running Back Emmett Johnson More in Offense Moving Forward
Head coach Andy Reid explained the team’s plans to shift some of the burden off of Walker and onto Johnson during a media session on Monday, September 21.
“I think Emmett will continue to get more snaps and then it’ll take a little bit of load off Kenny, but he wants that ball. He wants a ball every play, Ken does, and he’s not asking to be relieved or anything else,” Reid told reporters. “But I think as it goes on, you get a nice balance with those two in there and then it keeps them even more fresh as the season goes on.”
Walker is leading the league in both carries and rushing yards (290). He also has two total touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, to go along with his 79 yards through the air. Johnson, meanwhile, has 10 total carries for 39 yards and four catches on four targets for 64 yards.
Patrick Mahomes Benefitting From Chiefs’ Revamped Run Game
Kansas City’s resurgent run game has done wonders for quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is clicking on all cylinders and looks again like the two-time MVP and three-time champion that rendered the Chiefs all but unstoppable across a seven-year run before the team fell off a cliff last season.
Mahomes has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 566 yards, five TDs and one INT through two games. He has rushed the football nine times for 40 yards and one score.
After playing their first two contests at home in Kansas City, the Chiefs now begin a two-week road stretch that takes them to Florida to play the Miami Dolphins next Sunday and to the desert to square off with the Las Vegas Raiders on October 4.
Chiefs Reveal Big Change Coming for Kenneth Walker III After Strong Start