The Kansas City Chiefs’ fans are worried about Patrick Mahomes’ recovery. Luckily, one analyst thinks the Chiefs have found a way to lessen his offensive workload for the 2026 season.

In the Chief's Mailbag section hosted by The Athletic's Jesse Newell, a fan questioned the team's weak running game, especially after Kenneth Walker III's signing. Newell had a reply.

"While the Chiefs have historically relied on run-pass option plays more than any other team — those reads play to quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ strengths — the plan now appears to be to play more to the strengths of Suamataia, Humphrey and Smith, who have proved to be excellent run blockers when allowed to pursue blocks downfield aggressively," Newell wrote.

Kingsley Suamataia, the left guard, has played over 1090 offensive snaps. The two-time First-team All-Pro, Creed Humphrey, has started every game for the Chiefs since being drafted. And the right guard, two-time Pro Bowler, Trey Smith, continues to be a cornerstone blocker. 

In the 2025 season, the Chiefs relied heavily on Mahomes as their quarterback, who threw for 3,587 passing yards and recorded a career-high 422 rushing yards before his eventual injury.

Through Suamataia, Humphrey, and Smith, the Chiefs open up a new offensive weapon to unleash Walker into the opposition territory.

Newell further wrote, “He’s [Kenneth Walker] primarily been an under-center run-game guy for the Seattle Seahawks, and that’s likely to be a bigger part of K.C.’s offensive repertoire.”

Beyond the players, Newell also highlighted the coaching situation. He believes the Chiefs have a new game plan in 2026, under the offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Although the Chiefs are confident Mahomes will return in Week 1 in 2026, questions remain about his long-term health as the season continues. Seems like the Chiefs have already thought about that and are bringing in Justin Fields as backup QB.

The Kansas City Chiefs Are Also Investing in A Backup QB

On Monday, the Chiefs brought in Justin Fields from the New York Jets and traded a sixth-round pick in the 2027 draft. Meanwhile, they will also pay $3 million of his outstanding 2026 salary.

Newell thinks Mahomes may have plans to join organized team activities in May and June, but he still needs to ease into the proceedings before September's season opener.

"If Mahomes is slow to recover, Fields’ NFL starting experience will be useful for a Chiefs team that wants to be back among Super Bowl contenders this season. Fields has started 53 games in five pro seasons, which includes nine with the Jets in 2025," he wrote.

Newell makes a case for Fields here. He calls the quarterback athletic with a "live arm," which also insinuates Bieniemy may have a different kind of game play with him in mind.

Fields was publicly called out by the Jets owner, Woody Johnson, and solely blamed for his team's 0-7 losing streak. Perhaps the Chiefs could give him a turn in his luck.

What do you think about Newell's assessment of the Chief's offensive game plan? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Monika Khatai

Edited by

Sayantan Gayen