KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kenneth Walker looks terrific.

That’s the first sentence of this column, because it shouldn’t get lost in the remainder of the words, sentences and paragraphs that will follow.

He clearly has a different ability than the Kansas City Chiefs have recently employed in the backfield, even if that’s not the highest of bars to clear. The pace survives his change of direction. That’s perhaps where it pops most. He can do something that turned into the unthinkable last year: make a defender miss in the open field.

The high-dollar contract also looks slightly cheaper after a week that paid both Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs north of $22 million per year. Which is where this conversation is headed next.

Not the money.

The all-around talent those two Pro Bowl backs provide.

Is that what the Chiefs have now?

Kansas City completely revamped its backfield this offseason, a necessity after ranking dead last in explosive rushing yards (on non-scrambles) and 31st in avoided tackle percentage.

A legitimate running game would not only supplement Patrick Mahomes but make his job easier and therefore make him more effective.

There are three new running backs likely to be part of the mix: Walker, free agent signing Emari Demercado and rookie Emmett Johnson, with second-year Brashard Smith as a holdover.

But it all centers on Walker. How much will they ask him to do? What roles will they ask of him?

There are two questions that remain — or more like two curiosities, I’ll call them. They’re the two items they must still figure out, which, you know, is the purpose of training camp.

We’ll tackle them one at a time.

Who is the Chiefs’ short-yardage running back?

The Chiefs couldn’t generate explosive rushes last season, but they were extremely effective in getting a yard or two when all they needed was a yard or two. (The problem is when they could have used 10 or 15 yards, they were still generating only a yard or two, but I digress.)

They converted 71.8% of third- or fourth-and-short plays into first downs, the second-highest percentage in the league.

How do you explain that for a team that lacked explosion?

They employed the best short-yardage running back in football: Kareem Hunt.

Hunt converted 34 of 40 short-yardage attempts (85%), twice the amount of first downs as any other running back in the NFL on short yardage. The guy who ranked second on that list, Rams running back Kyren Williams, needed 30 attempts for 17 conversions, a success rate of 56.7%.

Hunt is gone.

The Chiefs need their short yardage success to stick around.

Walker is a heck of an improvement as a lead back. But short yardage? It’s not exactly been his specialty.

Walker attempted zero short-yardage runs last year.

Zero!

The Seattle Seahawks gave that role to Zach Charbonnet, and they had tight end AJ Barner running quarterback sneaks. They left Walker on the sideline.

This might seem like it’s nitpicking at a very specific set of circumstances, but short-yardage runs have really significant influence on outcomes.

Hunt finished sixth in the NFL in total EPA (expected points added), because he was so effective on them. The Chiefs telegraphed those plays, and he still converted. They rode it until the wheels fall off.

They need a different vehicle to lead the way this year, and it’s looking more and more like Walker could serve as more of a bell cow back.

Who is the third-down back?

Walker was brought in to change the Chiefs running game. That will have an indirect effect on the passing game.

Can he also directly elevate the passing game?

It’s another significant role in this offense — even perhaps a telling one.

In 2025, the Chiefs ranked 21st in the NFL in scoring. Their leading receiver out of the backfield was rookie Brashard Smith, who finished with just 172 receiving yards.

In 2024, the Chiefs were 15th in points, and Samaje Perine led the backfield with 322 receiving yards.

In 2023, they were 15th in points, with Isiah Pacheco pacing with 244 receiving yards.

The last time they had a real receiving threat out of the backfield was Jerick McKinnon in 2022, who had 512 yards and nine touchdowns. The Chiefs led the NFL in scoring.

A year before, in 2021, Darrel Williams totaled 452 receiving yards, and the Chiefs were fourth in scoring.

When the Chiefs are clicking, it’s a major part of the offense.

It’s also been a major part of training camp in its initial week.

Walker can do it, but he wasn’t given a ton of opportunity in Seattle. His 282 receiving yards were 18th among running backs a year ago. But he made his touches count. Walker finished sixth among running backs with 9.1 yards per catch, third in yards after the catch per reception, and ninth in yards per route run.

The ability is there.

The opportunities might be there this year, too.

The Chiefs are throwing to the running backs a lot in camp, even on designed plays. The screen game might return to being a weapon.

Walker’s been a focal point of it. Smith and Demercado have had plenty of reps with the starters in St. Joseph.

But Walker arrived in Kansas City to carry the load. The paycheck suggests he will.

He can upgrade the offense.

It requires he upgrades his own role, too.

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