Running back Kenneth Walker III was the Kansas City Chiefs‘ prize free agent signing during the offseason.
The Chiefs desperately needed to add speed and dependability to their backfield . They haven’t had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2017, and ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing offense in 2025. Walker not only provides home run hitting speed, but receiving skills as well.
Kansas City Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III Reveals Practice Habit He Picked up From QB Patrick Mahomes
Practice extends beyond the football field into the classroom. While speaking to the media on Saturday, Walker talked about how Mahomes carries himself in his preparations, and inspired him to take better notes during meetings.
“The way he goes about everything, this dude is always writing notes when he don’t even have to,” Walker said. “He’s constantly writing notes. I looked at his notes, they were so neat, I’m like dang, I’m really slacking. The way he goes about everything, not just on the field, but off the field. The type of person he is, always helping in the community, and always helping the guys around him. That’s a great leader, and that’s somebody you want to play alongside of.”
“This dude always writing notes, when he don’t even have to—I looked at his notes, they’re so neat I’m like dang I’m really slacking—The type of person he is always helping in the community and helping guys around him, that’s a great leader
Kenneth Walker III and Patrick Mahomes Will Define Chiefs’ Offense in 2026
The lack of a quality rushing attack has significantly hampered Mahomes over the past few years. It has been difficult for him to find open receivers with defenses dropping seven or eight players into coverage since they weren’t respecting Kansas City’s running game.
With Walker now in town, defenses will either have to load the box with more run defenders, or get burnt by Walker. If there are seven or eight players in the box, Mahomes will finally have more open field to work with when finding receivers.
Walker is expected to be a three-down workhorse back, and contribute as a receiver. Being ready physically isn’t an issue, but his success within the Chiefs’ offense will likely be defined by where he’s at mentally. Walker elaborated more on the note taking habit he took from Mahomes.
“In meetings, I’ll sit next to him and he’ll be writing his notes down on the iPad,” Walker said. “You look up at him, and he’s writing notes in every meeting. I talked to him about it, like, what are you writing notes about? He’s like, ‘everything.’ It’s cool to be able to pick up on certain stuff that he does.”
Kenneth Walker Takes Page From Patrick Mahomes’ Practice Habit