The Kansas City Chiefs made a major addition to their backfield on Thursday, signing running back Kenneth Walker.
Here are five things to know about the newest member of the offense.
1. Walker is the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
Walker was at his absolute best on the biggest stage, rushing for 135 yards and earning MVP honors in Super Bowl LX last month.
Five of Walker's 27 rushes (18.5%) picked up at least 10 yards in the game, marking the most for any player against the New England Patriots' defense in 2025, and his 135 rushing yards were the most by any player in a Super Bowl in 28 years.
2. He's a broken tackle machine.
Perhaps Walker's greatest strength is his ability to pick up yards after contact. He broke 61 tackles in 2025, ranking fifth among all running backs, while racking up 664 yards after contact. Additionally, over the past three seasons, Walker has ranked either first (in 2024) or second (in 2023 and 2025) in missed tackles forced-per-carry.
Understandably, as he demonstrated in Super Bowl LX, that prowess to shed tackles has led to a bunch of explosive plays. In fact, Walker broke off 33 runs of double-digit yardage in 2025, which ranked sixth in the NFL behind only De'Von Achane (40), James Cook (39), Derrick Henry (36), Bijan Robinson (36) and Jonathan Taylor (36). His explosive run rate of 14.9%, meanwhile, ranked third among all running backs.
Digging a bit deeper, 10 of those 33 runs amassed at least 20 yards on the ground, which ranked third in the league. For context, as a team, the Chiefs recorded just three such runs all of last season.
3. Walker has topped at least 1,000 scrimmage yards in three of his four professional seasons.
Walker accounted for 1,215 scrimmage yards (1,050 rushing, 165 receiving) in 2022, finishing second in AP Rookie of the Year voting.
He then followed up his initial campaign with 1,164 scrimmage yards (905 rushing, 259 receiving) in 2023, and after an injury-shortened season in 2024, Walker racked up a career-best 1,309 scrimmage yards (1,027 rushing, 282 receiving) in 2025.
In total, Walker has tallied 4,560 scrimmage yards during his four years in the NFL, averaging 1,229 scrimmage yards across his three healthy seasons.
4. He entered the NFL as a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Walker was the No. 41 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, making him the second running back selected that year behind only Breece Hall.
It was the result of a strong scouting process for Walker, who – following his stellar season on the field in 2021 – ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at 211 pounds during the NFL Scouting Combine.
5. Walker played his college ball at Wake Forest and Michigan State.
A rotational player at Wake Forest in 2019 and 2020, Walker transferred to Michigan State ahead of the 2021 campaign and burst onto the scene as one of the top players in the nation.
Walker rushed for 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns in his lone season for the Spartans, earning consensus All-America honors and the Doak Walker Award, which is presented to the top running back in college football.
That performance paved the way for an early selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, and following a historic performance in Super Bowl LX, Walker is headed to Kansas City.
