Chiefs HC Andy Reid: What SB MVP Kenneth Walker III Brings to KC’s Offense

Curt Cignetti is on record about what helps a quarterback. A running game and a defense. The Kansas City Chiefs just spent the offseason giving Patrick Mahomes both.

Rich asked Andy Reid how much Chiefs fans should expect to see new free agent running back Kenneth Walker III actually run the football.

The last 1,000-yard back Reid had was Kareem Hunt in his rookie year in 2017. Walker joined the Chiefs after winning Super Bowl MVP with Seattle.

"He's a heck of a player," Reid said. "What a great year he had, Jamie. And the Seattle Seahawks, what a great year they had. So we were very excited to get him on board."

Reid credited Brett Veach and Walker's agent for orchestrating the deal.

"Heck, we'll utilize him," Reid said. "I mean, he's a great addition to the offense. He's been here every day during the OTAs, working his tail off, and I think he's really looking forward to the opportunity to play."

Rich pressed for more. Will the run get a real share of the workload, or stay accessory?

Reid handled the question the way Reid handles those questions, by retreating to his own history.

"We utilized Kareem," Reid said. "I was lucky to have some pretty good running backs when I was in Philadelphia, and we utilized those guys. And Pacheco came up a couple yards short of 1,000 yards."

Then he did the BYU joke.

"When you go to BYU, Rich, it's like going to Michigan, except even a little bit better, right?" Reid said. "We we get tagged with, we're not into tattoos, but if we have a tattoo, it would say pass game, right? Right over our heart."

The closer, however, was harder to ignore.

"We'll run the ball," Reid said. "We're going to try to do whatever we can to score points. God, I mean, they're hard to come by in this league. If we have to throw it, we'll throw it. If we have to run it, we'll run it. And heck, if we can do both good, we'll do both good."

Rich shifted to the other thing that helps a quarterback. Reid's first four draft picks all came on defense, starting with Mansoor Delane, whom the Chiefs traded up to take.

Reid framed Delane as a direct replacement for what they lost.

"We lost a few of the secondary players to free agency and trade," Reid said. "Bringing him in gives us a legitimate corner there to go along with the guys that we have here. A very good corner. He was tremendous at the college level, and we anticipate he'll do the same here."

Steve Spagnuolo, Reid said, will lean on him.

"And Spags utilizes those guys and relies on them," Reid said.

The early-round investment was deliberate. The Chiefs added a defensive tackle and a defensive end on top of the corner.

"We were lucky enough to have a couple first-round picks, so we were able to put some people in place there that Spags will use," Reid said.