The offseason gave theKansas City Chiefs fans plenty of reasons to ask what came next. Familiar faces departed, established defensive starters found new homes, and the Chiefs placed significant responsibility on players who had yet to take an NFL snap.
Four games later, the Chiefs enter their bye week at 4-0. That makes the changes easier to embrace, but an undefeated record does not automatically give every offseason decision an “A.”
The better question is whether Kansas City improved the roles it needed
to improve through outside additions and the development of players already on the roster — and whether the early production supports the risks Brett Veach took.
We’ll start with the offensive changes:
Running back: Kenneth Walker has changed the conversation
Moving forward without Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt meant turning the page on two familiar pieces of the offense. Both had helped Kansas City win games, but signing Kenneth Walker III raised the expectations for what the running game could provide.
So far, he has exceeded them.
Walker has rushed for 537 yards on 87 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt. Add his 84 receiving yards and two touchdown catches to his four rushing touchdowns, and he has produced 621 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns through four games.
His impact has been consistent enough to matter beyond one highlight. Walker topped 100 rushing yards against the Denver Broncos, the Indianapolis Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders. In Las Vegas, his 177 rushing yards and two touchdowns helped Kansas City win a game in which its passing offense was far from its best.
That is the value of this addition. The Chiefs have another player who can carry the offense when Mahomes needs help. Walker’s explosiveness also gives opponents a reason to respect the handoff, creating opportunities for the under-center and play-action concepts Kansas City can build around him.
The remaining question is how the Chiefs manage his workload over a full season. As an early evaluation of the decision itself, however, this is the easiest grade on the board.
Early grade: A+
Offensive tackle: A quiet signing became a major investment in protection
Walker has been the most obvious offensive upgrade, but rookie Kahlil Benson belongs among the offseason’s most consequential additions.
Kansas City signed Benson as an undrafted free agent. With Josh Simmons sidelined by a back injury, the rookie has started all four games at left tackle, taking responsibility for protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blind side much earlier than the Chiefs expected.
That is a significant return from a signing that required no draft pick. An injury at left tackle can force an offense to devote extra resources to protection and limit its options. Benson has given Kansas City a player it can turn to at one of the game’s most demanding positions while Simmons recovers.
His September performance earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month honors. That recognition strengthens the case for treating his acquisition as a major part of the offseason evaluation.
As our own Caleb James detailed in his four-game Benson breakdown, he assigned the rookie a 77% overall grade, with 74% in true pass protection and run blocking and 85% in assisted pass protection. James credited Benson’s power in the running game while identifying speed rushes and inconsistent hand placement as areas to improve. His evaluation shows both Benson’s contribution and how Kansas City’s scheme has helped him succeed.
There will still be growing pains, and four starts do not answer every question about his pass protection. But when we ask whether the Chiefs found meaningful help for Mahomes, Benson deserves a prominent place in the answer.
Early grade: B
The small-scale changes
Kansas City also moved forward without receivers Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, changed its offensive-line personnel and acquired Justin Fields from the Jets for a 2027 sixth-round pick.
Some of those decisions need more time before they can be graded usefully. A backup quarterback acquisition, for instance, is difficult to evaluate through an undefeated start led by Mahomes.
Receiver depth is a more immediate question. Against Las Vegas, Jalen Royals played 38 offensive snaps without recording a reception, while rookie Cyrus Allen played five. Injuries to Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton have made the players behind the starters more consequential moving forward.
That doesn’t mean retaining Brown or Smith-Schuster would have been the right answer. It does mean the Chiefs’ confidence in their younger depth will face a more demanding test after the bye.
Early grade: Incomplete
Let us know how you feel these changes grade out so far! We’ll look at the defensive decisions later this week!
