The Kansas City Chiefs defense doesn't have much experience tackling Kenneth Walker III, but Khyris Tonga sure does.
The Kansas City Chiefs made some big additions in free agency recently, and newly-signed running back Kenneth Walker III is making a positive first impression so far. One teammate who was particularly impressed is another new acquisition, former New England Patriots defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, who’s seen what Walker can do up close and personal.
Tonga made his media debut in Kansas City recently, and Jesse Newell of The Athletic did a piece that included a question Tonga was asked about Walker. That seemed to bring back some lingering Super Bowl trauma for Tonga, who had to take a moment to recover.
“Oh, sorry,” Tonga said, shaking his head while regaining his train of thought. “Man, he’s a dawg.”
One play in the second quarter stood out the most, according to Newell. It was a second-quarter inside zone run in a second-and-10 situation, and Tonga thought he was ready for it when he forced Walker to the right.
Walker shifted gears, though, and after a quick toe tap he took off to the left. By the time Tonga reached back with his left arm Walker was gone, and a run that looked to be for a short gain was suddenly a 29-yard chunk play as Walker also outraced a Patriots cornerback to the boundary.
This is the new addition to Walker’s running repertoire that’s surfaced in Seattle, and it led to Tonga calling Water a “super smart” and “patient" back.
“He can start in the A-gap, go all the way down to the C-gap, hit all the way to the sideline. I mean, we saw it,” Tonga said. “The runs were supposed to go in. They ended up going out. He’d pick up about 40 yards.”
Walker is just happy to be fitting in, though. He wanted to be courted as one of the biggest free agents of this offseason, and the Chiefs were willing to do that.
“You feel appreciated and wanted. That’s what everybody wants,” Walker said. “I’m just happy to get in here and be able to get to know the guys and work.”
Walker will bring a lot to the table for the Chiefs, and speed is one of his most overlooked ones, according to Newell. He quoted a Next Gen Stats number that had Walker hitting at least 15 mph on 67 of his runs, which is the second highest number in the league.
That could lead to more designed runs, which weren’t much of a part of the Chiefs offense. Walker replied, “I hope so,” when asked if he thought the Chiefs might increase their run-game usage, and he followed up by discussing the communication work he’s done to date.
“I think it will,” Walker said. “Those guys up front, they’re going to do a great job. I’ve watched them on film, and I got to talk to some of them. So I’m excited to be here.”