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Kansas City Chiefs: PFF Believes Kenneth Walker Could Have Big Role in 2026

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Glenn Kaplan | Last updated Mar 19, 2026 3:05 PM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker to a four-year deal in free agency earlier this offseason. This was a big deal for Kansas City because they did not have a good running game a season ago. One of the biggest issues for the Chiefs was more than just the running backs.

The offensive line was not very good for them. When they decided to sign Walker, there were a lot of people who found this interesting. He was Super Bowl LX MVP for the Seattle Seahawks. It was a major surprise that Seattle did not re-sign him.

With Walker being the primary back for the Chiefs next season and not going with a running back by committee, is he potentially due for a breakout season? The odds are very good it could happen.

PFF Nathan Jahnke Thinks That Kansas City Chiefs Running Back Kenneth Walker Could Have Big Year in 2026

Former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III runs the ball against New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams during Super Bowl LX.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Nathan Jahnke of profootballfocus.com wrote about the winners and losers of free agency so far from a fantasy football perspective. He thinks that Walker is one of the winners of free agency this offseason from a fantasy football perspective.

Jahnke also believes that Walker could have a big fantasy year for the Chiefs in 2026. He said, "Walker lands with the Chiefs, who lost Isiah Pacheco to the Detroit Lions and Kareem Hunt is unlikely to re-sign. The Chiefs also signed third-down specialist Emari Demercado, pairing him with Brashard Smith as the backups.

Kansas City was the second-most pass-heavy team last season, throwing on two-thirds of plays. The Chiefs have thrown on at least two-thirds of plays in five of the past six seasons. Kansas City has also consistently passed more at the goal line than most teams.

Walker will be a fantasy starter at a minimum. He has graded well as a receiver on a limited sample size, and Kansas City tends to throw to running backs more than most teams. Walker probably won't play consistently on third downs after the Demercado addition, but Walker could play during two-minute drills, as he did in 2024. That would help him go from an RB2 to an RB1. If Andy Reid opts to run more than in the past, Walker has top-five potential."

During the 2025 NFL season with Seattle, he rushed for 1,027 yards on 221 carries and five touchdowns, along with averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Walker also caught 31 passes for 282 yards receiving and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 9.1 yards per reception. He could no doubt rush for over 1,300 yards next season if he is a three-down running back for the Chiefs.

Kansas City needs to run the football more next season and take pressure off of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Reid also will find a way to get him into space in the passing game as well. At just 25 years old, Walker still has a lot of potential to be good in the NFL.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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