The Chiefs made a big offseason move to sign running back Kenneth Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, away from the Seahawks. Coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes think Walker is going to prove worth every penny of his three-year, $43 million contract.
Reid said after watching Walker during the offseason program that the way he approaches practice is exactly what the Chiefs were hoping for.
“He’s got a ton of energy, and you can tell he loves to play the game [and] wants to learn what we’re doing here,” Reid said, via ESPN. “He gets that it takes work to be good, and he’s willing to do that. Stronger than an ox. I mean, he’s put together.”
Mahomes and other offensive players have commented that Walker is eager to involve himself in every aspect of the Chiefs’ offense.
“You can tell he truly cares about football, he cares about his teammates,” Mahomes said. “If he’s not in the play, he’s helping the guys on the sideline and he’s trying to learn and [is] asking me questions.”
The Chiefs made a big investment in Walker, and it’s going to take a lot more than unpadded practices in the spring for that investment to pay off. But Reid and Mahomes think he’s off to a strong start.