The Kansas City Chiefs made it an immediate point of emphasis to upgrade their RB room at the start of free agency. Last season, the Chiefs averaged 106.6 yards per game (ranked 25th in the NFL) and 4.2 yards per carry, which is not a winning strategy, no matter how talented the QB is.
Those weren’t great numbers, especially considering that superstar QB Patrick Mahomes was Kansas City’s third leading rusher (422 yards) behind Kareem Hunt (611) and Isiah Pacheco (462). With that being said, the Chiefs brought in free agents Kenneth Walker III (three-year, $43.05 million) and Emari Demercado (one-year, $1.25 million).
The Walker signing got a ton of attention as he’s coming off a Super Bowl win with the Seattle Seahawks and a Super Bowl MVP. The Chiefs believe he can take this running game to another level. However, we shouldn’t sleep on Demarcado, who could be an upgrade over Hunt at the RB2 spot.
Emari Demercado Could Give Chiefs’ Ground Attack Boost in 2026
Hunt has done a serviceable job the last two years in Kansas City, whether he’s starting or in the RB2 role. He showed he could carry a heavy workload in 2024 when Pacheco was hurt, and also be utilized as a weapon out of the backfield in the passing game.
However, at 30 years old, it's easy to question how much Hunt has left in the tank. This is where the younger Demercado comes into play. The former undrafted free agent RB has spent the last three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, where he served in an RB2/RB3 role.
Last season in Arizona, the 5-foot-9 running back ran for 312 yards on 44 carries, while adding 13 receptions (20 targets) for 101 yards and a touchdown. Those aren’t eye-popping numbers, but it could work with Walker, who will get the lion's share of touches in the offense.
Demercado doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear on his body, accumulating 176 touches across 40 games. Most guys get 176 touches in one season. Hunt, for example, averaged 202 touches in his two years with the Chiefs.
Demercado will possibly get the bulk of those carries with second-year running back Brashard Smith. In addition to his skills as a pass catcher, Demercado will bring more juice to the RB2 spot with the speed element.
Heading into the 2023 draft, Demercado ran a 4.44 40-yard dash, which isn’t too shabby for an RB at his size. The former TCU running back had a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 8.23, aligning his top comp with his new teammate in Walker, who had a RAS score of 9.26 in 2022.
According to StatRankings.com, Demercado led the Cardinals in explosive runs with nine in 2025, which is described as “the total number of rushing attempts that gained 10 or more yards.” Surprisingly, Hunt and Pacheco both had 10 explosive runs last season, which is a testament to themselves but also to the Chiefs’ offensive line.
With all that being said, Demercado isn’t a household name like Hunt or even Pacheco. But with Eric Bieniemy as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator, it's going to be fun to see how he utilizes him inside the Chiefs’ offense. And if things don't pan out with Demercado, the Chiefs still have Smith, who the fanbase wants to see more of.