Chiefs rookie RB Emmett Johnson could have bigger workload vs. lowly Dolphins

The Kansas City Chiefs are telegraphing their game plan a bit as they head into a Week 3 contest against the Miami Dolphins.

The Chiefs are 2-0, and they're feeling great, especially on offense and especially regarding the running game.

Their big addition this offseason was running back Kenneth Walker III, fresh off earning Super Bowl MVP honors with the Seattle Seahawks.

Walker is one of the top backs in the league, and he's at the peak of his powers right now. The Chiefs haven't been shy about leaning on him as quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to ease himself back into game shape after suffering a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee last December.

So far this season, Walker leads the NFL in rushing attempts and rushing yards with 47 and 290, respectively. He's found the end zone once as a rusher and once as a receiver. Per ESPN's Next Gen stats, he's already broken 29 tackles this season, so it's no surprise that the Chiefs are giving him the rock.

He's playing elite football right now.

With that said, it's a long season, and up next on the schedule is an 0-2 Dolphins team that could be the very worst in the league.

It's the NFL, so there are no easy games, but the Chiefs are a double-digit favorite heading into this game, even as the road team. If all goes according to plan, the Chiefs may be able to throttle K9 back a bit, and it does sound like that's the plan.

Specifically, the Chiefs are hoping to get rookie running back Emmett Johnson the ball a bit more.

"We just want to continue to make sure we're bring our [rookies] along the right way," offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said on Thursday, according to Nate Taylor of ESPN. "Emmitt's role is to continue to grow as the season progresses. What you don't want to do, when you're raising some of these young players, is put them in a situation where it could be detrimental to them. You want them feeling free and confident."

Kansas City Chiefs will feed rookie RB Emmett Johnson the ball against Dolphins

Johnson was a fifth-round pick for the Chiefs out of Nebraska. In three seasons with the Cornhuskers, he notched 2,460 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground, with 702 yards and five touchdowns added as a receiver.

He's carried the ball just 10 times this season for 39 yards while also catching four passes for 64 yards.

Kansas City wants Walker to "get his" and to stay loose and healthy, but ultimately, it sounds as if there's going to be a concerted effort to lean on Johnson against the Dolphins.

"I want Kenneth to get into a groove, and it's hard to kind of take him out," running backs coach DeMarco Murray said. "But Emmett's done a great job and he's still learning. He'll continue to get more opportunities. I've just got to pull the trigger and get No. 9 [Walker] out of there and put No. 10 [Johnson] in there."