Tyreek Hill rumors: Do Chiefs even have room for WR after reworking record-breaking offense?

The Chiefs got their mojo back thanks to Kenneth Walker III, but they are still missing one thing

Oct 15, 2026 at 12:06 pm ET • 5 min read

We should have never doubted the Chiefs. But some of us did, including myself, who predicted they would miss the playoffs again in my season preview bold predictions column.

One month into the season, it's already abundantly clear the Chiefs are once again a Super Bowl contender as they've raced off to a 4-0 start. 

Their defense has been better than expected even after losing their top two corners, and the addition of Kenneth Walker III has completely transformed their offense, which may still have a hole to fill. There are rumors that Kansas City is interested in bringing back its former WR Tyreek Hill to fill that void, but do the Chiefs need him, or even have room for him? Let's take a look.  

Mahomes and Walker forming a record-breaking duo

The Chiefs were an offensive juggernaut in the first five seasons of the Mahomes era, featuring home runs to Tyreek Hill and YAC for days from Travis Kelce. They evolved into a death by a thousand cuts, ranking 19th in scoring over the past three years. Now, they look like the perfect offense in 2026. Downhill running and play action to combat defenses sitting back to limit big plays.

The Chiefs' new identity is a masterpiece, leading to an offensive renaissance. It's the mesh point when Patrick Mahomes is about to hand off to Walker that is painting defenses into a corner. Pick your poison. Lay back in coverage, and Super Bowl MVP Walker will bludgeon you. Cheat vs. the run and three-time Super Bowl MVP Mahomes will carve you up with play action. 

This was the vision when you pair up a Super Bowl MVP combo at QB and RB for the first time since Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. You get a lethal play-action combination, the foundation for perhaps a reimagined Super Bowl run. 

Over half of the Chiefs total yards are coming from Mahomes play-action passes and Walker runs this season — 57% to be exact. Only one duo has accounted for more in a season in the past 15 seasons: Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry in 2020.

Mahomes and Walker have combined for the most play-action passing and rush yards by a duo through four games (944) since Jared Goff/Todd Gurley in 2018 (1,032). 

Most play-action pass + rush yards by duo through 4 games (past 15 years)

2018 Jared Goff/Todd Gurley (Rams)	1,032
2026 Patrick Mahomes/Kenneth Walker III (Chiefs)	944
2012 Robert Griffin III/Alfred Morris (Washington)	937
2016 Matt Ryan/DeVonta Freeman (Falcons)	911
2013 Peyton Manning/Knowshon Moreno (Broncos)	909

The Chiefs average 7.1 yards per play when Mahomes attempts a play-action pass or when Walker runs the ball. The NFL record for yards per play in a season, regardless of play type, is 7.0 by the 2000 Rams. 

It's all a byproduct of a historic start by Walker and his violent running style. He has forced the most missed tackles (42) by any player through four games in the past 10 seasons. He's the third RB in NFL history with 130+ rush yards per game and 6.0+ yards/rush during a 4-0 start. The others? They are on most people's RB Mount Rushmore: Jim Brown (1958 & 1963) and Emmitt Smith (1995).

At this rate, he could be one of the most important offseason moves ever. Remember, the Chiefs went completely against their identity with this move. They made Walker the highest-paid free agent RB ever ($14.4M per year) after ranking 15th or worse in cap spending on running backs every season from 2018-25. Now, Walker is on pace to be the Chiefs' first 1,000-yard rusher with Mahomes ... by Week 9!

Kansas City has leaned into its newfound success by going under center on 42% of its plays, by far the highest in the Mahomes era (25% is next highest). It's been the perfect counterpunch for how defenses have evolved to slow down Mahomes. Now, he's seeing more base defense and more loaded boxes this year, a sight for sore eyes.

Chiefs Tendencies

	2018-25	2026
Under center	21%	42%
vs base defense	17%	31%
vs 8+ in the box	17%	31%

On a per-play basis, the Chiefs are actually better this year (0.15 EPA per play) than their first five seasons in the Mahomes era (0.14 EPA per play). 

Do Chiefs have room for Tyreek Hill?

This is the most complete offense they've ever had with Mahomes, but there is one missing piece: a deep threat. The Chiefs are reportedly very interested in a reunion with Tyreek Hill to help there.  

Most signs point toward this move. The Chiefs' best home run threat, Tyquan Thornton, dislocated his ankle in Week 4, which puts the rest of his season in doubt. Plus, Mahomes' connection with Xavier Worthy has never materialized. Mahomes is 8-for-37 targeting Worthy on deep balls, the worst completion rate (21.6%) among 38 duos with 25+ targets since 2024. An already thin WR room could take another hit at any moment, too, based on Rashee Rice's track record.

Mahomes led the NFL with 41 touchdown passes on deep balls from 2018-21. He had just SEVEN in four-plus seasons since. Aidan O'Connell has more in that span (eight) for crying out loud! That's the Tyreek Hill effect.

A reunion with Hill is a great fit on paper, but there are so many questions swirling around him:

• Will he be eligible to play? He is currently under NFL investigation related to domestic violence allegations made by his wife that could violate the league's personal conduct policy. 
• Is he healthy? Hill's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said he doesn't know if Hill is 100% healthy right now. 
• Is he still good? Even prior to the injury, he looked like a shell of his former self, recording one catch of more than 30 yards in his past 20 games played. He's averaged 11.5 yards per catch in that span. That is probably the least concerning factor here for a few reasons, and you can potentially chalk that up to the fall of the Dolphins offense with Mike McDaniel and Tua Tagovailoa. 

If the Chiefs can somehow answer yes (or maybe) to all three questions, then what would prevent them from reuniting with Hill? Character concerns? That won't stop them. They brought back Kareem Hunt.

If they did sign Hill, I wouldn't doubt them. I've done that before, and I learned my lesson.