The Kansas City Chiefs made one of the greater splashes in free agency. Kenneth Walker III will now be entered into Andy Reid's offense. Coming off of a Super Bowl MVP win, the former Seattle Seahawk gives the Chiefs the power and elusiveness that they had been missing at the position.
Will Kansas City still consider drafting a running back even after the signing? The Chiefs have Walker III signed for three seasons. Former Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado added to the group on a one-year deal as well. Brashard Smith will look to continue developing as a former day-three draft pick.
In the end, the Chiefs appear to be placing a larger significance on the running back position entering 2026. Beefing up the room further should not be ruled out. Solidifying that depth to the fullest extent cannot be ignored. K.C. has a low bar to clear from the past two seasons at running back.
After the top tier, the 2026 running back class becomes wide open for the Chiefs
Kansas City has constantly stated it is looking for more explosive play from its running back spot in 2026. Burst is what the Chiefs generally search for with incoming offensive skill players. On the other hand, the cyclical nature of the NFL is currently pointing in an opposite direction.
Teams are fine adding more power to their running back group right now. For instance, the Houston Texans got a head start in that area by adding David Montgomery via trade. A pendulum swing to more tight ends on the field—and sometimes a sixth offensive lineman—is becoming more commonplace.
After a period of offensive football being spread out, most teams are getting back to a pounding nature, with bigger players beating up on smaller players. That has led to offenses wanting to be more balanced. Are there easier levers to pull offensively to take pressure off quarterbacks? As defensive wrinkles, adjustments, and schemes have evolved and deepened, simpler offensive football is becoming the best answer.
This running back class is not considered as deep by analysts or NFL general managers. The Chiefs just need to find a foundation in the ground game. The eye of the beholder grows even more noticeable than usual when sorting out this running back class. K.C. could benefit from the lack of top-tier options in the class.
Kansas City could see dual-threat options fall right into their laps. Even if the Chiefs wait to draft a running back until day three. Emmett Johnson, Nic Singleton, Kaytron Allen, and Demond Claiborne are a few versatile pieces that could offer fine complementary play to the names the team has signed. The Chiefs do not have to force it with another running back addition. Though, plenty of serviceable pieces could still be had later on as an initial RB2 or RB3 option on the depth chart.