The Kansas City Chiefs played a game of football over the weekend, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in their preseason opener. The results of the game don't matter but what does matter in preseason games is what we see from the players, especially the rookies. Fifth-round rookie Emmett Johnson didn't disappoint in his first glimpse of NFL action.
Johnson was easily one of the standouts from the loss, leading the team in rushing with 59 yards off 12 carries and hauling in all three targets sent his way. He might not be the starting running back for Kansas City but that was never the plan for him. The plan was to put him in either a backup or third-string role and hopefully he'd work his way into a bigger role down the road.
What Johnson showed in his debut is that he can be a meaningful contributor to this offense in 2026. Not only did he lead the team in rushing but, according to Pro Football Focus, Johnson had the most missed tackles of anyone this weekend with 10. No one else surpassed five.
That's absolutely awesome news for the Chiefs as this team looks to rebuild its backfield. The run game has not been a strength for Kansas City in recent years and Johnson could help turn the tides there.
Emmett Johnson just gave Chiefs fans a glimpse of what's coming
Following the game, Johnson spoke to the media about his NFL debut and what he's learned as a rookie so far.
"It's just football at the end of the day. Obviously, it's a little bit faster and guys are a lot more talented and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, it's football. I feel like I've adapted well to the NFL and I feel like I'll be a better NFL player," Johnson said. "Yeah, I've been grinding every single day, just focusing on what Coach Bieniemy and Coach DeMarco [Murray] are telling me, learning from it and growing every single day."
It's only one game, of course, but it's always better to see something from these young guys in the preseason than nothing. Johnson showed the Chiefs exactly why he was so successful at Nebraska and why teams should have taken him earlier in the draft. If he can carry that performance into the regular season, he'll end up looking like an absolute steal for this team.
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