What Andy Reid told Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III 'that meant a lot to me' and how it's lifting KC
Facing first-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Patrick Mahomes handed the ball to Kenneth Walker III.
The Kansas City Chiefs were trailing the Indianapolis Colts by 3 points in this Week 2 matchup. They now had four tries at moving a yard to capture the lead in the third quarter.
So when Walker's first attempted carry was stuffed, Mahomes didn't fret. He handed off to his running back again on second down, Walker pushing up the middle and slightly left. No luck.
On third down, Walker aimed to dive over a pile of Colts defenders to his right. Still no good.
So despite Walker producing more than any player in the NFL this season, the Chiefs pivoted on fourth down. Mahomes faked a handoff, rolled to his right, and nailed a dart to Jalen Royals in the back of the end zone.
All was fine, right?
Not to Walker.
Walker is still new to the Chiefs, signing a three-year, $43 million deal with $28.7 million guaranteed this spring, perSpotrac.com. In March, the Seattle Seahawks let him walk in free agency even after his 161 yards from scrimmage earned Super Bowl MVP honors and paced the Seahawks' championship effort.
So a strong game and a half, at that point, wasn't enough to calm his frustration at failing to score three times from the 1-yard line. Head coach Andy Reid noticed.
As Walker sat back on the bench - still mid-game against the Colts, a quarter-plus to go - Reid approached.
"He was like, 'I'm not ever going to give up on you,'" Walker told Yahoo Sports this week over Zoom, speaking in partnership with Orgain organic plant protein powder. "That meant a lot to me so I can just go out there and play my game and not really worry about it. ...
"It helped out to just really ignore the frustration and go back to the next play."
Reid is putting his play-calling where his mouth is. Through four weeks, Walker has amassed 99 touches for a league-best 621 yards from scrimmage. His six touchdowns have already surpassed the five he scored in 17 regular-season games last season.
Kenneth Walker Surging Ahead | ||
Stat category | Total | NFL rank |
Yards from scrimmage | 621 | 1st |
Rushing yards | 537 | 1st |
Yards per rush | 6.2 | 1st (among RBs) |
Total TDs | 6 | T-4th |
What's contributing to Walker's career-best numbers in his fifth year to build off his Super Bowl success? Teaming up with Reid and Mahomes helps. The Chiefs' demonstrated investment helps, too.
"I believe I could just say - opportunity," Walker said. "I had a lot of opportunities in the Super Bowl, and Coach Reid and [offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy], they've been working with me while working with the team, all OTAs and training camp.
"So we've been doing all these reps and then once the opportunity comes, you just got to make the best of it."
'Crazy' Reid play-calling, Mahomes aiding WalkerOpportunity indeed is fueling part of Walker's explosion. Walker's 99 touches outpace his previous four-game high of 72 by 37.5%. The rhythm he's finding with those increased touches has contributed to his uptick in efficiency.
Across his first four NFL seasons, Walker never averaged more than 70 rushing yards or 81 yards from scrimmage per game, according to Pro Football Reference. This year, he has averaged 134.3 rushing yards and 155.3 yards from scrimmage across wins over the Denver Broncos, Colts, Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders.
Walker prefers to distribute credit.
"I feel like it's a whole team effort," he said. "I know I get a lot of the credit, but I always say those guys up front, the linemen, the wide receivers and tight ends, they're doing a great job of making me and [the other running backs'] job a lot easier."
Add Reid to that list, too.
The 28th-year NFL head coach long ago earned his reputation for play-calling creativity. Walker had the chance to learn firsthand how far Reid would go ahead of the Chiefs' opener.
How far? About 90 years.
When Reid initially cued up footage of a grainy 1936 play called "Heisman," Walker was skeptical.
"I was like, 'No way we really going to run this,'" he said. "It was gray and everything. And we practiced it and it looked good at practice. But sometimes everything looked good at practice, and then you get to the game and it doesn't work out the way you think."
The Chiefs had Justin Fields lined up next to Mahomes on the TD
- NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2026
DENvsKC on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/iE3BxyCeIf
Heisman worked out one of the ways the Chiefs hoped: with a score. After Mahomes and backup quarterback Justin Fields lined up in a three-point stance behind the line of scrimmage, Walker started in a three-point stance out to the left before he'd swing around to the right, grabbing a toss from Mahomes on his way to the end zone.
Walker leapt untouched into the end zone.
"It was so unique," Walker said. "I've never been in a play like that where we're in a three-point stance and everything and it just messes up the defense. They don't know who to key on. ... The way [Reid]'s able to get the ball into playmakers' hands is crazy to me. But he's been around for a long time, so he knows the game better than anyone.
"It's cool to be in that system to be able to be a part of this."
As Chiefs injuries mount, Tyreek Hill could 'make it hard on the defense'Walker's target share hasn't only been coincidental. It's also proven necessary for a Chiefs offense hampered by injuries.
During the Chiefs' opener, Mahomes admitted he was still adjusting to the speed of the game after tearing his ACL and LCL in December. Mahomes said then that he was forcing some throws early and still building trust in his surgically repaired knee.
Walker eased that transition with 191 yards and two scores, including a run for 60 yards.
Against the Raiders last week, the Chiefs' deficit hit its receiving corps: receiver Rashee Rice left the game in the first quarter after a hamstring injury. Receiver Tyquan Thornton suffered a dislocated left ankle in the fourth quarter. Thornton is expected to undergo surgery and be sidelined 12 to 16 weeks,per ESPN.
Walker contributed 179 yards and two scores, including a 76-yard run in the third quarter. Mahomes credited Walker for helping on a day when the QB completed just 50% (15 of 30) of his passes.
KENNETH. WALKER.
- NFL+ (@NFLPlus) October 4, 2026
The RB traveled a total distance of 93.30 yards and hit a max speed of 21.21 MPH on this insane 76-yard gain, per @NextGenStats @KCvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on #NFLPluspic.twitter.com/bFh3YrU7gw
"The offense, we're not doing what we want, but we're continuing to stay with the process of the game plan, and eventually we will get through," Mahomes said after the 30-27 win. "When you have a guy like Kenneth, that'll get you through, and that's not just a 20-yard run, that's a 70-yard run."
The Chiefs may need assistance to aid their debilitated receiving room and also to aid Walker. Can he stay healthy enough to carry this load? Walker missed six games in 2024 due to a high-ankle sprain, calf sprain and right oblique strain at different points. Injuries sidelined him two games each in 2022 and 2023 as well. Last year, Walker stayed available - while splitting carries with running back Zach Charbonnet (184 carries to Walker's 221) until Charbonnet tore his ACL in the playoffs. Some in Seattle believed that shared workload was key to Walker staying healthy all year.
One way the Chiefs might take pressure off Walker: signing another high-ceiling receiver.
Speculation has swirled about a reunion between the Chiefs and speedy receiver Tyreek Hill, whose agent Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN on Monday that Hill could be "potentially signing with a team over the next few days." The Chiefs reached out to show their interest in Hill, per The Athletic. Hill has not played in more than a year after he dislocated his left knee, tearing multiple ligaments including his ACL on Sept. 29, 2025.
Monday,Hill's wife detailed assault and verbal abuse allegations against him during a civil assault and battery trial related to their divorce proceedings. Hill has previously discipline for domestic violence allegations, including a 2015 dismissal from the Oklahoma State football team and a 2019 NFL suspension from offseason activities with the Chiefs.
On the field, Hill has collected eight Pro Bowl honors and five first-team All-Pro honors across six seasons with the Chiefs and four with the Dolphins. He surpassed 1,100 yards four times in his tenure with Kansas City, twice leading the league in yards per touch. During his second season with the Dolphins, in 2023, Hill led the league with 1,799 yards.
He turned 32 in March.
Multiple members of the Chiefs organization have expressed support for Hill rejoining them. Walker, too, is intrigued by the dimension he could add to Kansas City's offense.
"Everybody knows Tyreek Hill is straight speed and he's just an athlete in general," Walker said. "And just watch[ing] him over the years, I'm like, he's one of the best players that really plays. ...
"I just feel like that would be ... a lot of things that defenses will have to key on. It's not one dimensional. We got a run game, passing, everything. So I feel like it'll make it hard on the defense to key on just one thing. And I feel like that's what you want in the offense."