This All-Andy Team celebrates a decade of Big Red success for the Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid is a playoff game or two (maybe three!) from completing 10 seasons as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
And although the final chapter of this decade remains unwritten and could substantially add to his ledger, we’re forging ahead with a fun little bye-week exercise:
Selecting an All-Andy (Reid) Team, comprised of the best Chiefs players, by position, that Big Red has coached during his 10-year run in the Heartland.
This team of starters on offense and defense, plus specialists, reveals a few things about football in KC over the past decade.
First, it’s been excellent, rivaled only by the organization’s AFL years. Since Reid’s first season 2013, the Chiefs top the NFL in victories and winning percentage.
The Chiefs are the only NFL team to qualify for the playoffs at least nine times in the last 10 years. This run of success includes seven straight AFC West titles, four AFC Championship Game appearances, two Super Bowls and one championship (so far).
It also says that the cupboard wasn’t exactly bare when Reid arrived after spending the previous 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Players like Jamaal Charles, Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry helped Reid hit the ground running in his new job. The Chiefs improved from two to 11 victories in Reid’s first season.
In selecting this All-Andy Team, current and former Star reporters who covered the Chiefs considered production and longevity. Most but not all of the Chiefs honored here played on one of Reid’s division-winning teams starting in 2016.
Each stands among the organization’s top players of the past decade, and to be frank, we could probably fill out a pretty incredible 53-man roster with a depth chart for reserves using standouts Reid has coached during his impressive run in red.
Here are the selections.
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes
Comment: Will likely win his second NFL MVP in a couple of weeks. Mahomes replaced Alex Smith, who was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. Also considered: Smith.
Running back: Jamaal Charles
In two full seasons for Reid, Charles, the franchise’s career rushing leader, gained more than 1,000 yards and became a major pass-receiving threat. Also considered: Kareem Hunt, Damien Williams, Jerick McKinnon.
Fullback: Anthony Sherman
“Sausage” was a Reid original who picked up first downs, caught passes and was a special teams star. Also considered: Michael Burton.
Wide receiver: Tyreek Hill
Before becoming part of the biggest trade in franchise history, Hill turned himself into a Pro Bowl regular and two-time All-Pro. Also considered: Jeremy Maclin.
Wide receiver: Mecole Hardman
Like Hill, Hardman’s speed is his separating quality. Injuries have cost him playing time this season, but he could be ready for the playoffs. Also considered: Dwayne Bowe.
Wide receiver: Sammy Watkins
Injuries limited his playing time during three regular seasons with the Chiefs, but not in the playoffs. Watkins hauled in 25 receptions combined in the 2018 and 2019 postseasons. Also considered: Demarcus Robinson.
Tight end: Travis Kelce
In Kansas City as long as Reid, Kelce has developed into the league’s gold standard at his position. Also considered: Demetrius Harris, Noah Gray.
Left tackle: Eric Fisher
The overall No, 1 draft selection in 2013, Fisher moved from right to left tackle in 2014 and gave Chiefs eight solid seasons. Also considered: Orlando Brown Jr., Brendan Albert.
Left guard: Joe Thuney
A Pro Bowl selection this season, Thuney is part of the Chiefs’ rugged interior line with center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith. Also considered: Jeff Allen.
Center: Creed Humphrey
Humphrey has quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s top centers and is a Pro Bowl pick for the first time this season. Also considered: Mitch Morse, Rodney Hudson.
Right guard: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
The sixth-round pick from Montreal who became a medical doctor was a force on the Chiefs’ Super Bowl championship team. Also considered: Trey Smith, Andrew Wylie.
Right tackle: Mitchell Schwartz
Became an All-Pro when he joined the Chiefs from the Browns and ran his consecutive snap count to 7,895 in Kansas City.
DEFENSE
Defensive end/OLB: Tamba Hali
Like others on this list, Hali played in a 3-4 and was listed as an outside linebacker, but his job was to meet Justin Houston at the quarterback. Also considered: Frank Clark.
Defensive tackle: Chris Jones
Best defensive player of the Big Red decade? A case can be made. Also considered: Derrick Nnadi.
Defensive tackle: Dontari Poe
Pro Bowl player and best gadget-play lineman of the Reid era, with two rushing scores and a touchdown pass. Also considered: Khalen Saunders.
Defensive end/OLB: Justin Houston
His 22-sack season in 2014 set the Chiefs’ standard and he returned one of his two interceptions in 2015 for a touchdown. Also considered: Dee Ford.
Linebacker: Derrick Johnson
The Chiefs’ career leader in tackles, Johnson didn’t drop off in production in the final third of his career when Reid became KC’s head coach. Also considered: Willie Gay Jr.
Linebacker: Nick Bolton
Derrick Johnson was among the first to congratulate Bolton on breaking his single-season tackles record this season. Bolton finished with 180. Also considered: Anthony Hitchens.
Safety: Eric Berry
Berry was an All-Pro on both sides of his Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis. During a 2016 game at Atlanta, the Georgia native returned an interception for a touchdown and a two-point conversion attempt in a one-point Chiefs victory. Also considered: Dan Sorensen.
Safety: Tyrann Mathieu
He brought leadership and swagger to a new Chiefs defense that played in two Super Bowls. Also considered: Juan Thornhill.
Cornerback: Marcus Peters
How ready was Peters for the NFL? On the first snap of his pro career, he came up with an interception. Also considered: Sean Smith.
Cornerback: L’Jarius Sneed
On the back end with interceptions or front end with sacks, Sneed is the Chiefs’ most productive corner. Also considered: Brandon Flowers.
Cornerback: Charvarius Ward
Acquired in a trade with the Cowboys, Ward became a three-year starter and dependable corner. Also considered: Kendall Fuller.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker: Harrison Butker
He’s had his struggles this season, but Butker remains the fourth-most-accurate kicker in NFL history and booted a 62-yarder this season. Also considered: Cairo Santos.
Punter: Dustin Colquitt
One of the most consistent punters in NFL history, Colquitt spent 15 years with the Chiefs, including Reid’s first seven. Also considered: Tommy Townsend.
Kick return: Tyreek Hill
He led the NFL in punt returns as a rookie and returned a total of three kicks for touchdowns in 2016. His freakish speed made every return a can’t-miss moment. Also considered: Dexter McCluster, Knile Davis, Mecole Hardman.
Coverage teams: Dan Sorensen
The Chiefs have had several great coverage players on Dave Toub’s special teams units. Sorensen gets the nod for big plays, like when he snuffed out a fake punt in the 2019 playoffs against the Texans. Also considered: D.J. Alexander., James Winchester.
This story was originally published January 13, 2023 at 5:00 AM.