Chiefs’ Mahomes, Reid like what they’re seeing from Kenneth Walker during OTAs
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Patrick Mahomes praised Walker for caring about teammates and asking questions.
- The Chiefs signed Walker to a three-year, $45 million deal with $28.7M guaranteed.
- Head coach Andy Reid and teammates highlighted Walker’s energy, strength, and learning.
After agreeing to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs at the start of free agency, former Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker posted a Chiefs-themed graphic to his X account.
Four minutes later, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes quoted the post with two words:
“LETS GO!!”
But it’s one thing to be excited about what you’ve seen from afar — three healthy 1,000-scrimmage-yard seasons and most recently a Super Bowl MVP. It’s another to see it firsthand while working closely with the new player on the practice field and in the meeting room over the first three days of voluntary organized team activities, or OTAs.
“He’s a great dude,” Mahomes said of Walker. “That’s the first thing I noticed. You can tell he truly cares about football, (and) he cares about his teammates. If he’s not in the play, he’s helping the guys on the sideline, and he’s trying to learn and asking me questions and doing those things. He’s a great football player, even from what y’all saw (Thursday), it’s special.
“The way he’s able to run the football, catch the football, (and) do everything. I said, ‘I’m kind of built like him (laughing), but not just built like him yet.’ He’s going to help us a lot on this team, by his mindset and the football player that he is.”
After seasons of feeling let down by a lack of explosiveness in the run game, the Chiefs were deliberate when the NFL’s free-agency period opened, quickly striking a deal with Walker on a three-year, $45 million contract that includes $28.7 million fully guaranteed.
OTAs don’t allow for true run periods, but Walker made what might have been the play of the day during Thursday’s open look. During an 11-on-11 period, quarterback Justin Fields floated a ball to the running back that he reeled in with one hand.
“He’s doing a good job,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of Walker. “He’s got a ton of energy, and you can tell he loves to play the game (and) wants to learn what we’re doing here. He’s coming from a great program, and he gets that it takes work to be good, and he’s willing to do that. Stronger than an ox, I mean he’s put together now.” It’s not just Reid and Mahomes who like what they’ve seen from Walker. Last year, Walker’s longest score of the season came on a 55-yard touchdown run between the right guard and right tackle. Plays like that have made his new right guard, Trey Smith, eager to work with him.
“(He’s) hungry to learn our system,” Smith said. “Just wanting to be great, man. I feel like he does an excellent job, a phenomenal job of just going in and going hard. Wanting to be taught, wanting to be coached. I’m really excited to block for him. (Walker) being a former (Super Bowl) MVP, it’s a really cool thing to have a running back like that.”
And Walker wasn’t the only addition to the Chiefs’ reshaped running backs room this offseason. Joining now-second-year back Brashard Smith are veteran Emari Demercado and fifth-round rookie Emmett Johnson.
“Just a phenomenal group of guys, with coach (DeMarco) Murray doing a phenomenal job coaching them up,” Smith said. “It’s just an exciting group to be around.”
