Chiefs fire two offensive coaches, per sources. More staff changes could follow
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs fired running backs coach Todd Pinkston and receivers coach Connor Embree.
- Offensive staff faces further turnover if coordinator Matt Nagy pursues head roles.
- Team needs run-game innovation or a run-game coordinator to revive passing attack.
A busy NFL coaching cycle has left Andy Reid as the longest-tenured coach in the NFL.
There’s stability at the top.
But there will be some needed change underneath.
The Chiefs have fired running backs coach Todd Pinkston and wide receivers coach Connor Embree, sources told The Star.
Louie Addazio, a defensive assistant, last week accepted the offensive line job at UNLV; and Alex Whittingham, another assistant, earlier this month joined his father, Kyle, at the University of Michigan.
That’s four changes, including two prominent positions on the offensive side.
For now.
There will almost certainly be more — again, on the offensive side.
Matt Nagy, in his second stint as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for the past three seasons, is interviewing for head coaching jobs elsewhere in the league. He is among the leading candidates for the Titans job, where former Chiefs assistant Mike Borgonzi is the general manager and leading the search.
If Nagy strikes out in his head coach interviews, he’s still expected to pursue other opportunities where he can serve as a primary play-caller, per reports.
His likely departure would prompt a third vacancy for the offensive staff — and the lead voice, at that. Well, after Reid, who is the lead voice for the offense.
But the Chiefs need some freshness somewhere in that room, whether at the top or a collaborative voice elsewhere.
And a suggestion, if I may: The Chiefs ought to strongly consider employing a run-game coordinator, a position they don’t have on staff. They’ve typically left that work to offensive line coach Andy Heck instead.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to split the duties, if for no other reason than to embrace something different.
As mentioned in this space throughout the season — and the days following it — the Chiefs’ inability to effectively run the football significantly affected their ability to throw the football — because it made it significantly more difficult to throw the football.
The team’s running backs were among the worst-graded in the league. Kareem Hunt offered short-yardage efficiency. The rest of the backfield offered little.
The Chiefs faced the most light boxes in the league, per Next Gen Stats — defenses were prepared to play the pass — so they theoretically should have had the best running numbers in the league. Instead, on non-quarterback scrambles, the Chiefs finished 26th in the league at 3.7 yards per carry, 32nd in avoided tackles, 25th in yards before contact and 25th in yards after contact, per FTN’s data.
Those running backs will have a new coach next year, but the offensive staff could use some innovation in the run game, too. That‘s how they could best help the pass game — even if it’s not the only way.
The Chiefs have finished 15th or worse in scoring in three straight seasons, though a season-ending injury to quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t help that cause. They spent a six-week stretch as the most productive offense in the NFL in scoring and yards per play, but their performance down the stretch — even before the Mahomes injury — demonstrated a necessity for change.
Or, at the least, unpredictability.
There were teams down the stretch that operated as though they were in the Chiefs’ huddle. It was particularly evident against the Chargers, Mahomes’ final appearance before suffering his season-ending knee injury late in the fourth quarter.
Who will backfill these coaching departures on Reid’s staff? That’s likely to shake out in the coming weeks, after the head coaching carousel settles deeper into the postseason.
This story was originally published January 15, 2026 at 4:26 PM.