The Chiefs Have the Next Superstar Running Back

The Chiefs Have the Next Superstar Running Back

Emmett Johnson, a fifth-round pick out of Nebraska, has quietly become one of the more intriguing breakout candidates in the Chiefs’ backfield through the start of his rookie season. At 22 years old, Johnson arrived in Kansas City with a strong college resume, having rushed for 1,451 yards and 12 touchdowns on 251 carries in 2025 while adding 46 catches for 370 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air, numbers that earned him First-Team All-American and Big Ten Running Back of the Year honors.

His early NFL stats back up that hype. In his regular-season debut, a 31-10 win over Denver, Johnson turned 8 carries into 24 yards and caught both of his targets for 44 yards, including receptions of 19 and 25 yards, while playing 25 snaps and running 10 routes behind lead back Kenneth Walker III.

That usage came on top of a strong preseason in which he led the Chiefs with 59 rushing yards on 12 carries in the opener, then followed with a 25-yard, one-touchdown effort and a 39-yard, 5.6 yards-per-carry showing that made him the Chiefs’ clear No. 2 back over veteran Emari Demercado and 2025 seventh-rounder Brashard Smith.

The breakout case here is built on role and receiving upside rather than a crowded early workload. Johnson forced 68 missed tackles in his final college season, ranking sixth nationally, and posted elite target-share and dominator metrics that translate well to a change-of-pace, three-down role in Reid’s offense.

With Walker carrying an injury history that cost him significant time from 2022 to 2024, Johnson’s three-down skill set positions him to see an expanding workload if given the opportunity. For a 22-year-old rookie already earning meaningful passing-game snaps and outproducing his draft slot in limited chances, the ingredients for a real second-half or 2027 breakout are already visible.