Denver Broncos Should Try to Sign Kenneth Walker III

The franchise tag deadline has come and gone, and Kenneth Walker III is officially a free agent.

The Denver Broncos should try to sign him to lead the team's backfield ahead of RJ Harvey.

Denver's been active in looking for a new running back, and Walker would be a homerun for the orange and blue.

Denver Broncos Should Sign Kenneth Walker III

The reigning Super Bowl MVP, Kenny Walker, is officially a free agent after the Seahawks didn't re-sign him nor franchise tag him per Adam Schefter.

Tuesday at 2 p.m. MT was the deadline for all NFL teams to franchise tag players, and only three were used this offseason after only two players were tagged last year.

Albert Breer linked Walker to the Broncos too.

“The tag also helps to further define the running back market,” Breer wrote. “It leaves Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III alone as the top back on the market, and Walker will probably wind up getting somewhere between $12 million and $16 million per season, from a team like the Seahawks, Broncos or Chiefs. It also makes Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr. the clear-cut No. 2 guy on the market, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Etienne pulls down $10 million per year.”

And Jonathan Jones of CBS says the Broncos were in on Breece Hall before he was franchise tagged, and they are likely to go after Walker or Travis Etienne.

Walker just put on an absolute display in Super Bowl LX, running 27 times for 135 yards and catching two balls for another 26 yards.

He came through clutch when the Seattle Seahawks needed him most; Zach Charbonnet, who split carries with Walker, tore his ACL in the Divisional Round win over the 49ers. Walker put the Seahawks on his back in the postseason, rushing for 313 yards and 4 touchdowns along the way.

Over the course of the season, Walker enjoyed his second-best year as a professional only to his rookie season. He rushed for 1,027 yards but a career-low 5 touchdowns because Charbonnet was the goal line back. Walker also caught 31 passes for 282 yards; he's a solid receiver and versatile back.

The Broncos are already running back needy, and Walker would be a homerun for George Paton if he landed him.

Walker is the Best Back Available, Fits Denver

Many in Broncos Country hoped for Breece Hall as the new Broncos running back, but the Jets were intent on keeping him. On Tuesday, they were one of those three teams to use the franchise tag, keeping Hall in New York for at least one more year.

With Hall off the board, Walker is the next-best running back in a group that features a ton of great players like Tyler Allgeier, Rachaad White, Travis Etienne, and Rico Dowdle among others.

I like how White and Allgeier would fit with the Broncos—both of them are great goal line runners—but I put Walker above both of them in terms of playmaking ability. And fit with the Broncos.

First and foremost, the dude is a playmaker. He had 33 explosive runs of 10-plus yards, which was 6th-most in the NFL. Some of those explosives are created by forcing missed tackles; he had 61 forced missed tackles last year, 5th-best in the NFL.

Second, I love his patient running style. We saw that in the Super Bowl, waiting for a hole to open up and then gashing the Patriots. And while he isn't the biggest back (5'9", 211 pounds) he does run effectively between the tackles.

He ran for 610 yards between the tackles, which was 46% of his total production including the playoffs. It may be less than fans want, since Harvey likes to run outside, but Walker's production distribution was even along the gaps on the offensive line. Plus, his largest yards per carry averages came inside, including the 7.3 YPC average running behind right guard.

Walker + Quinn Meinerz = exciting.

Finally, he was the best running back in the league in 2025 according to Pro Football Focus, who gave him a 91.4 overall grade. And his 91.5 run grade was also the best, with his biggest flaw coming in pass protection.

Running Back a "Must" for the Broncos

As Sean Payton said at the NFL Combine, the two "musts" for the Broncos this offseason are at running back and linebacker.

That was already true a week ago because J.K. Dobbins is a free agent. He was a pleasant surprise as Denver’s lead back last year before a lisfranc injury to his foot. Then, the Broncos decided not to tender third string running back Jaleel McLaughlin, so he’s free to walk too.

Denver went after David Montgomery and almost traded for him before the Houston Texans won out. It’s clear Paton and Payton are looking to make a huge splash; Walker would be that.

He‘s the best back around; the Broncos have to try to sign him. Especially when the rival Chiefs have also been mentioned as interested in his services.

If Denver wants to sign Walker, it’s going to cost a pretty penny. He will likely command $12-15M per year, with his pay likely ballooning due to competition for his services.

But Denver can afford it. They are currently $26.2M under the cap and trading or cutting Ben Powers will free up another $8.4M, plus they can do some restructuring of other contracts if need be.

Report: Denver Broncos Guard Ben Powers Could be Traded

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Denver Broncos guard Ben Powers could be traded due to his value. That would mean Alex Palczewski’s time is now.

Broncos BlitzRich Kurtzman

Signing Kenny Walker makes the Broncos legitimate contenders for the Super Bowl again. Even more legitimate contenders than last year because they didn’t have a consistent run game down the stretch or in the playoffs, and Walker showed just how important that was on his way to a ring and that Super Bowl MVP.

Go get it done, George Paton.

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Rich Kurtzman was born and raised in Denver Colorado and attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins in the aughts. He's been a professional writer since 2011, covering Colorado State football and men's basketball, as well as the Denver Broncos, for many outlets. Current Denver Broncos work can be found on Mile High Sports. Previous credits include CBS Denver and The USA TODAY Sports Media Group.

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