There are four running backs in the NFL who have already surpassed 500 rushing yards through the first five weeks of the season. Three are the names you'd expect: Bijan Robinson (580), James Cook (532) and Jahmyr Gibbs (504). But right in the middle is Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker, who's racked up 537 rushing yards and four touchdowns on just 87 carries.
Walker leads the league with 6.2 yards per carry and is the only running back with multiple games of more than 170 rushing yards. And here's the kicker: He's played in just four games, with the Chiefs on their bye in Week 5 while Robinson, Cook and Gibbs all had a chance to add to their totals. Walker is proving he belongs in the same conversation as the NFL's elite running backs, and he might even be the best of the bunch.
But according to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, none of this comes as a surprise. "Yeah, I would tell you not really because we thought he did well, especially when [the Seahawks] had to turn everything over to him during the playoffs," Reid told reporters Monday when asked whether Walker's production in Kansas City had surprised him. "So, we saw his whole game there, and now we're just seeing it on an extended basis where he comes in and he's been able to showcase all that." More news: DeMeco Ryans Sends Strong Message on Marvin Harrison Jr After Cardinals Trade More news: Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley Makes Malik Willis Decision After 0-5 Start Walker spent his first four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks after the team selected him with the 41st overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
However, he was never used like the true workhorse back he's become in Kansas City. He never played more than 64% of Seattle's offensive snaps and surpassed 1,000 rushing yards just twice. With the Chiefs, Walker is playing 75% of the team's offensive snaps and is on pace to finish with well over 2,000 rushing yards.
Kansas City has finally given him the lead-back workload he was drafted to handle in Seattle, and that decision stems from what Reid saw during the Seahawks' Super Bowl run last season. Walker rushed for 313 yards and four touchdowns, along with 104 receiving yards, across three postseason games. He capped that run by winning Super Bowl MVP after rushing for 135 yards on 27 carries and adding 26 receiving yards.
Kansas City saw what Walker could do when he took on a full workload instead of splitting carries, and the result was a championship. Now, the Chiefs are hoping for a similar outcome with Walker leading the way. At 4-0, they've given themselves a good chance to do just that.
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