Khyiris Tonga gives scouting report on new Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III as Super Bowl LX foes become teammates in Kansas City

New Kansas City Chiefs DT Khyiris Tonga and RB Kenneth Walker III smiled and shook hands on Thursday, but just 33 days ago, they were rivals facing off in the biggest game of their football-playing careers. Walker emerged as the Super Bowl LX MVP for the Seattle Seahawks after 29 touches for 161 yards, while Tonga emerged grateful for his season with the New England Patriots despite failing to achieve the desired results.

Now, with the two players reunited as teammates in Kansas City, Tonga was asked to open a wound that had only just recently scabbed over. He took a second to chuckle and collect himself when he was asked about the type of player the Chiefs are getting in Walker.

"Oh, sorry. Man, he's a dawg," Tonga said. "I mean, we got to see it in February, unfortunately. But super, super happy to be able to be his teammate and not be able to be on that side of the ball game... Super, super smart, man. Smart back. Very patient. Hits the holes when it's there. He can start in the A gap, go all the way down to the C gap, hit all the way to the sideline. We saw it, the runs were supposed to go in, they end up going out. He picked up about 40 yards. So, he's gonna be a fun player to be able to watch. I'm glad I'm on his side."

Everyone knows that the Chiefs needed to get more explosive at the running back position, but they're also getting more elusive. Even when things don't go right for Walker, he's often able to make up for it. Over the past three seasons, he's ranked either first or second in the NFL in missed tackles forced per rushing attempt.

It's bittersweet for Tonga to admit, but having the reigning Super Bowl MVP on his side of things will be good for business moving forward. That'll be especially true for a certain part of Tonga's game that he first began unlocking in 2025 with the Patriots.

Khyiris Tonga may actually get to help Kenneth Walker do his thing beyond iron sharpening iron

One of the big public-facing selling points on Tonga's signing with the Chiefs was his versatility. We're not talking about playing up and down the defensive line, but rather on the offensive side of the ball. In 2025, with the Patriots, Tonga played 18 offensive snaps. He mostly aligned in the backfield as a fullback and lead-blocker, but even had a few plays aligned as a receiver at the snap.

Asked about whether he was lobbying for any offensive snaps with Andy Reid, Tonga said they haven't had those discussions yet.

"No, I'm not, but you know that's always open for me, so if he got it, I'm ready," Tonga said. "It was so fun. I was grateful to the coaches for trusting me enough to even give me the opportunity to try. And I had a lot of fun doing it, and I really enjoyed it."

It probably won't take much convincing. All it will take is him putting on the cut-ups of him clearing the way for Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. It won't just entice Kenneth Walker, but it'll undoubtedly entice Eric Bieniemy and Andy Reid.