Kansas City Chiefs

Did Chiefs strike gold with Kenneth Walker? Grading Chiefs’ start to free agency

Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.

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  • Chiefs signed Kenneth Walker and re-signed Travis Kelce.
  • Kansas City lost Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook and Gardner Minshew.
  • Sam McDowell & Vahe Gregorian discuss impact and prospects for the NFL Draft, 2026 season.

Free agency affected the Chiefs from the opening moments on Monday.

It was reported that Kansas City had signed Super Bowl MVP running back Kenneth Walker while also resigning tight end Travis Kelce.

But with those major additions came subtractions: Gone are cornerback Jaylen Watson (Rams), safety Bryan Cook (Bengals) and backup quarterback Gardner Minshew (Cardinals).

So how did the Chiefs fare? Columnists Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian shared their thoughts on SportsBeat KC, the sports podcast of The Star and KCUR.

Also, the Big 12 tournament arrives in Kansas City and Missouri heads to the SEC tournament in Nashville. What are the prospects for Kansas, Kansas State and Mizzou this week?

Rundown (timestamps are approximate)

1:25 — Did Chiefs overpay in signing Walker?

9:25 — Travis Kelce’s return

20:20 — KU & Mizzou’s chances in the Big 12 & SEC tournaments

33:01 — What else is on Blair’s radar?

This story was originally published March 10, 2026 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Did Chiefs strike gold with Kenneth Walker? Grading Chiefs’ start to free agency."

Blair Kerkhoff
The Kansas City Star
Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
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