Andy Reid is facing a head-scratching question this offseason as the latest numbers on the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense leave a big question mark. Despite key metrics showing clear improvement from the 2024 Super Bowl run, the unit fell short in important aspects. With that, Reid now faces a dicey offseason situation to handle before the next campaign begins.  

Kansas City’s defense took a step forward in multiple categories. The unit actually surrendered fewer yards per game when compared to the 2024 season. It dropped from 320.6 yards allowed to 301.5 yards. Moreover, their defensive EPA rose from 15th to 12th position and improved in key pass-defense metrics. If we go by past trends, this level of defensive play had always sufficed for Andy Reid’s team, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes putting in extra work to overcompensate.

However, the magic didn’t work this time as multiple players fell to injuries. Firstly, the Chiefs opened the season without elite receiver Rashee Rice, who faced suspension. Further, wide receiver Xavier Worthy got sidelined after dislocating his shoulder in the very first game on September 5, 2025. Later, the offensive line took another major hit after Jawaan Taylor and Josh Simmons went down with injuries in Week 13.

And then the final blow came two weeks later when Mahomes tore his ACL, keeping him out for the rest of the season. It ended any realistic playoff hopes and capped a frustrating offensive year. The unit finished 20th in the league, averaging just 320.6 yards per game. If Reid’s team doesn’t want to repeat the mistake of relying solely on offense, they must address three major issues on the defensive side.

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First is the lack of turnovers, as the Chiefs managed only 14 takeaways with a differential of -1, tying for 26th in the NFL. Moreover, their pass rush played a major role in their underperformance. The defense produced just 33 sacks all season, and worst of all, the Chiefs couldn’t close games. The defense failed in clutch moments, often allowing late drives that changed the score in the end.

In each of their first six losses, the Chiefs fell short by seven points or fewer, often leaving the defense just one important stop away. Mistakes in third-and-long situations worsened things. And fixing those moments may be Andy Reid’s biggest priority of all.

Andy Reid makes major coaching changes ahead of the 2026 season

Kansas City is undergoing a major reset after the team’s brutal 6-11 finish in 2025 blocked them from advancing to the playoffs, marking the second time this has happened under Reid’s leadership. Unsurprisingly, the coach didn’t take long to make major coaching shake-ups from top to bottom. Since January, the team has parted ways with seven members of the 2025 coaching staff. 

The most notable change came on the offense, where Eric Bieniemy replaced Matt Nagy as offensive coordinator. Moreover, the team fired running back coach Todd Pinkson and wide receiver coach Conor two weeks ago. And now, they are bringing Nate Pagan to serve as quality control coach.

On the other side of the ball, C.J. Cox joins the staff as a quality control coach after serving as the cornerbacks coach and pass-game coordinator at Kent State. He later coached safeties at UAB and Coastal Carolina before moving to the NFL. On Tuesday, Andy Reid weighed in on the major changes he has made to get Kansas City back on track.

“I want to fix the problems that we had in all phases,” he said at a press conference. “There will be people that move on, there will be people that come in…Change can be good sometimes for you, and that’s what I’m specifically fired up about.”

With a revamped staff and a sense of urgency, the Chiefs are betting that change will spark their return to contender status.