Andy Reid has bad news for Chiefs' Kenneth Walker III

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Andy Reid has bad news for Chiefs' Kenneth Walker III

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Sep 22, 2026 8:01 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs made one of the biggest moves of the offseason, signing reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to a very lucrative multiyear deal.

Through two weeks, the former Seattle Seahawks star has validated this move and even looked like a bargain.

He's leading the league with 369 yards from scrimmage, following a record-breaking debut with another strong performance in the win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Nevertheless, head coach Andy Reid is worried about his season-long usage, so his numbers might take a big hit in the following weeks.

When asked about his new star, the future Hall of Famer hinted at giving rookie RB Emmett Johnson a bigger workload.

The Chiefs want to give Emmett Johnson a chance

“The other part is allowing Emmett to grow,” Reid said. “I think Emmett will continue to get more snaps, and that will take a little bit of the load off Kenny. He wants the ball every play, Ken does. He’s not asking to be relieved or anything else. But, I think as it goes on you get a nice balance with those two in there, and it keeps them more fresh as the season goes on.”

Emmett Johnson is expected to receive more snaps, gradually reducing Kenneth Walker III's workload as the Chiefs seek a fresher two-back balance.

Andy Reid: “The other part is allowing Emmett to grow. And so I think Emmett will continue to get more snaps, and that'll take a… pic.twitter.com/wbUduxD6Vx
— MicNuggets (@micnuggetsnfl) September 21, 2026

Johnson only got a couple of carries in Week 2, with Walker toting the ball 24 times.

The season opener was a similar story, with the rookie getting eight carries to Walker's 23.

Of course, fantasy football managers might not appreciate this approach, but it actually makes perfect sense.

As much as the Chiefs want to have their biggest offseason addition on the field as often as possible, they need him to stay healthy for January, not just in September.

Also, Johnson was one of the main training camp standouts, and the Chiefs often talked about getting him involved and maximizing his skill set.

The Chiefs haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher since rookie Kareem Hunt in 2019, but now that Walker is at 1/4 of that goal after just a couple of weeks, not even a diminished role should be enough to stop him from breaking that curse.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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