The Kansas City Chiefs did improve its running game after landing running back Kenneth Walker III but the lack of improvement at wide receiver could haunt the team in 2026.
The 2025 Kansas City Chiefs were extremely disappointing on many levels, and it culminated in winning just six games and missing the postseason for the first time since 2014.
Even before star quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with a gruesome season-ending knee injury at the end of Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs were hanging onto its playoff hopes by a thread. That’s for several reasons, but mainly because the running game was unable to produce explosive runs and take over games.
Free agent running back Kareem Hunt and Detroit Lions RB Isiah Pacheco combined to have just one explosive run over 20 yards. In fact, according to ESPN’s Ben Solak, the Chiefs had the lowest explosive run rate out of any offense over the last 25 years.
That’s a major problem when defenses can focus primarily on the passing game, which isn’t the most potent despite having this generation’s best quarterback in Mahomes. The receiving room should be a lot better than it is based on talent, but the room was among the worst in terms of drops last season.
Solak analyzed each team’s free agency and ranked them accordingly. He loved that the Chiefs addressed the most obvious need for an explosive running back by signing reigning Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and former Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III to a three-year deal but didn’t love the fact that the receiving room didn’t make any significant additions.
For those reasons, he ranked the Chiefs’ free agency class 24th.
“Walker was third in explosive run rate among high-volume RBs last season,” Solak wrote Wednesday.
“Even if Walker's 2025 postseason was his peak and he doesn't become a true three-down, 20-plus-touch back, we know for a fact he's explosive ... and we know for a fact the Chiefs needed that.”
Walker should provide the burst of energy and explosiveness Kansas City was looking for, making this a great signing. Solak acknowledged that bringing back wide receiver Tyquan Thornton to fill Hollywood Brown’s role, who was a nice and unexpected deep threat for Mahomes and the Chiefs at times last season, but Solak just isn’t a fan of the team’s receivers.
“But I continue to rate their WR room substantially lower than most. They lack size and ball-winning ability above the rim, let alone any blocking prowess for their running game or heavy dose of screens,” wrote Solak. “The issues that have plagued the Chiefs' offense for the past few years might fade, but they won't fully go away until they reimagine their wide receiver group.”
While bringing in Walker and bringing tight end Travis Kelce back helps the offense, the defense lost a ton in free agency as well, making it an interesting offseason for Kansas City.