Chiefs sign former Cardinals running back as Kenneth Walker backup

Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs’ running back room was heavily scrutinized, and for good reason. The Chiefs not only did not run the ball that often, but they were also ineffective in the few times they actually used their running backs. Part of it was due to their running back room being a bit lackluster, with Isiah Pacheco struggling after his injuries.

The Chiefs made sure to address this issue this offseason, signing reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to be their starting running back. Many expected the team to retain veteran Kareem Hunt, as he was effective as a short-yardage option. Instead, the Chiefs are completely overhauling their RB room by signing veteran Emari Demercado, Jordan Schultz reports.

Demercado, who was an undrafted free agent pickup by the Arizona Cardinals in 2023, has been productive as a backup in Arizona. He’s totaled 819 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns through three seasons, averaging 6.5 yards per run. Unfortunately, most fans will probably know Demercado for his goal-line gaffe last season, where he dropped the ball before reaching the goal-line, leading to a touchback.

With the Chiefs, Demercado is expected to compete with Hunt for the RB2 role. While Demercado offers explosiveness as a secondary option, Hunt’s calling card is his reliability in short-yardage scenarios. Hunt had 55 first downs (35 of which came in 3rd-and-short) and 8 touchdowns in 2025 as Kansas City relied on him often in 3rd-and-short scenarios. It will be interesting to see how this offseason plays out for the Chiefs’ running back room.

With Walker in the mix, expect the Chiefs’ offense to look a little different in 2026. For the last few years, Kansas City has not run the ball that often. They finished 25th last season in rushing attempts per game with just 25.4 attempts. They’ve finished in the bottom 10 in attempts per game since 2022. With an elite RB in Walker on the team, their rushing attempts should go up significantly this year.

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