For a team that went from scoring in the mid-thirties and high twenties from 2018-22, you'd think a three-year stretch where a Patrick Mahomes-led offense that has since sunk to middling in the 20-22 point per game range would be cause for larger concern and force the front office to evaluate the overall offensive philosophy a little more. Maybe that's what the Kansas City Chiefs are doing internally.
The hope and expectation, at least from what Brett Veach and his staff have provided, is that the past years' offensive issues had more to do with coaching deficiencies and a stale Andy Reid scheme. Which is true, and they're correct to think that. The Chiefs did need a coaching overhaul on offense and did just that, bringing back Eric Bieniemy to his rightful role at OC, DeMarco Murray as the leader of the RB room, and Chad O'Shea to be the vocal and veteran presence that the team's WR room has been lacking for years.
But the idea that the personnel just needed a tweak here and there, I think, is an arrogant thought and one that might come back to bite them. And the only reason why I say might is because if Kenneth Walker III has the immediate, high-level impact that his three-year, $43 million contract warrants, which is what the Chiefs are heavily relying on, then not only will the running game be solved, but just the threat of it will make the passing offense much more difficult to deal with. Which begs the question, how much can we realistically expect Walker to change things?
Massive pressure is on the fifth-year running back, as Kansas City made Walker their one and only major offensive addition
As a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, Kenneth Walker was the Seattle Seahawks starter from day one and excelled in the role, rushing for over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry. He followed that up with a second campaign of over 1,100 yards from scrimmage and another nine scores. However, in year three, injuries crept up on him, and Walker played in just 11 games in 2024, making 2025 the make-or-break year to prove he was worth a big contractual investment.
It was a year where Walker ran for another 1,000-plus yards, but just five TDs on 31 catches and another 282 yards. It was a fine regular season, where for the first time in his career, he stayed healthy all year, but certainly not one that warranted either the Seahawks or another team to hand him a massive deal for a player at his position that can be so fickle.
It was Walker's three-game playoff performance en route to a Seattle Super Bowl run that sealed the deal for the 25-year-old. He ran the ball 65 times for 313 yards and four TDs on nearly five yards per tote and another 104 yards on nine catches (seven of them for a first down). He was the featured weapon throughout Seattle's playoff run and proved he could be 'the guy' for a successful offense.
It's why the Chiefs opted to pay him as much as they did, and perhaps the reason for their lack of additions at both wide receiver and tight end. Kansas City fully trusts the coaching improvements, along with Walker's presence in both the run and pass game, to vault the Chiefs' offense back to stardom. Hopefully, that's all it takes, but it's fair to have some sprinkles of doubt heading into another pivotal 2026 season.
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