The Kansas City Chiefs have been thrown a curveball ahead of their Week 10 game against the Atlanta Falcons and that comes because of an injury to running back Kenneth Walker.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters that Walker reported tightness in his groin on Friday morning and did not take part in practice later in the day.
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This is a brand new injury for Walker, who wasn’t on the injury report over the first two days of the practice week.
“Ken Walker didn’t practice today due to a groin injury, per Coach Reid,” Matt McMullen of the team’s official website relayed.
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Reid said more evaluation would be needed before they determine his status for Sunday against the Falcons.
“We’ll see how he feels through this afternoon and rehab,” Reid said of Walker, per ESPN’s Nate Taylor. “Somewhere he tweaked it… He was tight this morning.”
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Impact of Kenneth Walker’s injury
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III (9) looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Indianapolis Colts at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
Walker enters Week 10 ranked second in the NFL with 872 rushing yards, trailing only Falcons back Bijan Robinson, who has just eight more yards despite playing in one more game.
That just goes to show how great Walker has been for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs’ big-ticket free-agent acquisition has been worth every penny for Kansas City and has been the engine of their offense, so it goes without saying how big of a blow it would be for the Chiefs if he doesn’t play.
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Walker has even been mentioned in the MVP conversation, and rightly so, he has been one of the best players in the NFL this season, regardless of position.
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If he ends up sitting out, the Chiefs would deploy rookie Emmett Johnson in his stead.
A fifth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2026, Johnson has shown flashes as a runner and pass-catcher during his rookie campaign.
He posted a career-best 34 rushing yards and a touchdown in Week 9 after a Week 8 showing that saw him rip off 128 receiving yards and a score.
Kansas City also has Jaydn Ott on the 53-man roster and Nate Carter on the practice squad to help fill the void.
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