Three weeks into the 2026 campaign, with the Kansas City Chiefs’ blockbuster new acquisition Kenneth Walker III leading the entire NFL in rushing yards and the Chiefs sitting undefeated at 3-0, it is safe to say that Travis  Kelce’s recruiting instincts have paid off. Coming off a dominant 24-10 display against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 at Hard Rock Stadium, Kelce reposted a picture of him and Kenneth Walker from a Chiefs post-game carousel on his Instagram story.

The 4-word message however is what caught people’s eye. “Give 9 the ball!!!” Travis Kelce captioned the story. In what was almost a message from the veteran to his QB, Patrick Mahomes. 

To understand why Travis Kelce is publicly demanding that Kansas City keep feeding Kenneth Walker III, you have to look back at how this partnership actually came together. 

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz on The Pivot, after a 2025 trade-deadline pursuit of Breece Hall collapsed when the New York Jets and Chiefs haggled over a draft pick, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, and Head Coach Andy Reid personally made Walker their undisputed top priority in free agency to cure their one-dimensional attack. 

Walker’s presence directly answers Kansas City’s biggest tactical issue over the past few years. Opposing defenses often dropped 1 or 2 safeties deep to limit Mahomes’ deep throws. This in-turn forces Mahomes into contact. Schultz rightly believed that the Chiefs were looking for a star runner that the opposing secondaries would respect enough to not have 2 safeties just hanging in the deep and instead push them closer and open up the deep passing lanes for Mahomes. 

And now with Walker signed to a 3-year, $45 million deal, Kansas City finally has a true home-run back to exploit light boxes. 

Andy Reid pointed out that Walker “adds another element to the offense, another something you can throw at the defense, which is important.” Running backs coach DeMarco Murray echoed that sentiment during practice week, noting that Walker “comes to work every single day with the right mindset” for the Chiefs.

Walker gave Reid and Mahomes every reason to keep feeding him touches in Miami. The RB carried the ball 18 times for 70 rushing yards, scored a TD on a tough 10-yard run, and caught a crucial 5-yard pass from Mahomes to pull away from Miami in the 2nd half. 

That run threat creates massive openings across the middle for Travis Kelce himself, who reeled in an 11-yard receiving TD and a 48-yard catch against Miami. 

This is not the first time Kelce has shown serious love for Walker on the field this year. Back in Week 1 against Denver, after Walker broke a 60-yard score on 4th-and-1, television microphones caught Kelce walking up to him and saying, “You a f****** dog,” right on the sideline.

Even more impressive has been the fact that last season’s Super Bowl MVP with the Seahawks hasn’t skipped a beat since arriving in Kansas City. Kenneth Walker III is on an insane NFL leading 120 rushing yards per game, having 360 yards (also NFL leading) on the ground in 3 games including 2 rushing TDs. 

Kelce backed up that praise during his New Heights podcast with his brother Jason Kelce, saying, “We’re just proud that he’s showing out for the Kingdom.” That matched his training camp review, where Kelce stated Walker possesses ” every trait you possibly want as a running back” in Reid’s playbook.

Patrick Mahomes agrees with Kelce’s assessment of their new weapon. When asked about changes to the offense, Mahomes pointed straight to Walker, saying: “I told you all, literally, like first press conference. Y’all were asking, what’s the difference with our offense? And I said, K9. Like, it’s just that simple.”