On Friday morning, Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker woke up with a “tight groin,” head coach Andy Reid said at the podium later that day. He was held out of practice for the first time all week due to the sudden injury, and he will now miss the Week 10 game against the Atlanta Falcons.
The team downgraded Walker (groin) from questionable to out on Saturday morning. The Chiefs also said defensive tackle Chris Jones will travel to Atlanta on his own, a notable headline after the FAA grounded all U.S. flights Friday afternoon; air travel has since resumed.
This will be the first week Walker will be sidelined in the 2026 season, and it was a cautious move on Kansas City’s part.
“We’re kind of feeling it out just to see where we’re at with that thing,” Reid shared on Friday. “We’re not going to put him at risk or any of that. That’s how we roll. If he can go, he can go. If he can’t, he can’t. That would be one of those.”
Reid also discussed the possibility of Walker in relation to the opportunity for rookie running back Emmett Johnson.
“If Emmett has to do it, then we all have confidence,” Reid said. “He’s going to play anyway, so whether Ken’s there or not there, he’s going to play. So, everybody has confidence in him.”
Johnson is in line for his first career start against the Falcons, projected to take the lion’s share of the workload as rookie running back Jaydn Ott (hamstring) was also listed on the injury report as questionable.
