The Kansas City Chiefs signed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in the offseason to a three-year, $43.05 million deal to revamp the team’s offense. He’ll be a major cog in the game plan on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos in their season opener.
The Chiefs will be without starting left tackle Josh Simmons (back), who protects quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side. Mahomes, himself, is returning from a torn ACL and LCL suffered in the 2025 season’s final weeks. To make matters worse, the Broncos amassed a league-high 68 sacks last season. Rookie Kahlil Benson, an undrafted free-agent from Indiana, will step in at left tackle.
Walker will likely be tasked with considerable pass protection Monday night. He’ll also be in a rotation with second-year back Brashard Smith and rookie Emmett Johnson for running duties. Walker is no stranger to contact as he forced 61 missed tackles in 2025 and totaled more than 600 yards after contact. He also busted 33 runs of double-digit yardage, and of those, 10 gained more than 20 yards. The Chiefs had just three runs of 20-plus yards all of last season.
Walker hasn’t been utilized as a receiver a lot in his career, but they’ve designed screen plays for him in training camp. Keeping the Broncos’ elite defense off balance is a key when they need to keep tight ends Travis Kelce and/or Noah Gray in to block or chip the edge rushers. The key to victory in Week 1 could be in Walker’s hands.
