For Better or Worse, the Chiefs Believe in Their Offensive Philosophy

You've heard it before. You'll hear it again. The Kansas City Chiefs need to make life easier for Patrick Mahomes.

While the all-world quarterback is far from blameless for some offensive shortcomings in recent years, the premise remains true. The Chiefs have one of the best signal-callers in the history of the sport, so they'd be wise to do everything in their power to help him.

That continues to be the case as Mahomes comes off a torn ACL. Despite that, Kansas City only made one marquee signing on offense this offseason. The 2026 NFL Draft also saw general manager Brett Veach opt for a defense-focused haul.

Is there enough talent on the offensive side of the ball? Can head coach Andy Reid's tweaks make a difference? Will he make any to begin with? Joshua Brisco, Nate Taylor and Seth Keysor discussed all of that and more on the latest episode of the Only Weird Games podcast on KC Sports Network.

Signing running back Kenneth Walker was a great start

Don't get it twisted: Kansas City had one of the very worst rushing attacks in the sport in 2025-26. Running back Kareem Hunt's short-yardage success and Mahomes' scrambling ability skewed many metrics to depict a productive ground game. That simply wasn't the case in reality.

Enter Walker, who rushed for over 1,000 yards a season ago and won Super Bowl MVP with the Seattle Seahawks. He injects high upside into the Chiefs' profile, as evidenced by his 9.95% explosive run rate, via SumerSports. Among halfbacks with 100-plus carries, his 4.65 yards per carry and 701 yards after contact were both top-15 marks.

A reliable rushing team can parlay that into a more successful — and less predictable — offense. Walker isn't the sole fix, but he's a big part of the formula.

Could a formidable offensive line finally justify the hype?

Entering each of the past few seasons, there's been optimism surrounding Kansas City's offensive line. How can there not be? The interior duo of center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith is one of the best in the NFL.

Still, the group has yet to realize its potential. Could 2026 be the campaign? A full year of now second-year left tackle Josh Simmons might do the trick. There are questions about right tackle Jaylon Moore being a legitimate piece for a full season, but four out of five starters project as above average.

Per Pro Football Focus, the Chiefs ranked ninth in pass block grade and 17th in run block grade in 2025. ESPN's pass block and run block win rates had them second and 25th, respectively. Expectations are once again high, and it may stabilize the offense if they're met.

The not-so-distant world at wide receiver

It seems that those in Chiefs circles spend an alarming amount of time imagining a world where the Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton trio isn't enough at wide receiver. What if it is, though?

There's simple logic to outline for the first two. Rice spent part of last season suspended, then got banged up down the stretch. Worthy suffered an injury in Week 1 and never truly seemed to get back on track while also nursing a nagging, separate ankle ailment.

With Rice in a contract year and Worthy essentially having a make-or-break season, the Chiefs very well could get the best versions of both players. Add in Thornton's vertical field-stretching profile and tight end Travis Kelce's potential last hurrah, and the ingredients for an efficient and explosive attack are there.

That's without even rehashing the Walker addition or the hiring of wideouts coach Chad O'Shea.

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