The Kansas City Chiefs are giving Brashard Smith the answers to the test heading into the 2026 NFL offseason, but it’s going to be up to him to use them.
The seventh-round draft pick out of SMU didn’t play as significant a role as many hoped in 2025, although he was clearly the team’s most explosive option at the running back position. As things stand ahead of Week 18’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Smith has carried the ball just 32 times for 95 yards on the season. He’s made a more substantial contribution in the passing game with 23 receptions on 31 targets for 170 yards and a touchdown.
It looks rather lackluster, but the team remains very high on the rookie’s ability and versatility as they begin to turn the page to 2026. What will his role look like in the future? That’s entirely up to Smith and how he approaches his first offseason as a professional.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid spells out precisely what Brashard Smith needs to do this offseason
Back in October, Chiefs HC Andy Reid alluded to what he’s repeating now. Smith, a college receiver up until his final campaign at SMU, is still very much built like a receiver. If he wants to be an effective NFL running back, he needs to get bigger and stronger. Reid envisions Smith in a dual role as both an effective carrier and pass-catcher for Kansas City, but that will only come to fruition if he takes care of business this offseason.
“I think both,” Reid said of Smith. “A good offseason of strength training, eating right, and doing all those things that you need to do to play that position over an extended period of time. I think that will benefit him (Brashard Smith).”
Explicitly asked whether there was any player that Reid could compare Smith to, he was unable to come up with an example right off the top of his head. The closest in Kansas City might be Dexter McCluster, who was a hybrid running back and receiver in college at Ole Miss and in the NFL.
McCluster was with the Chiefs before Reid’s time in Kansas City, but there are reasons he’s hesitant to compare Smith to anyone he has or hasn’t coached. His story is still being written.
“What we try to do is put them in that position,” Reid said of showing players film of past Chiefs running backs. “If we have the cutups on them, then we show it to them. He’s (Brashard Smith) been a wide receiver. He’s different than the other guys where he has actually played that position, so there are a few more things that you can do with him. I don’t bring up names – I don’t want to sell any of those guys, but they’re all great players, and he’s just starting off here.”
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Chiefs OC Matt Nagy thinks the ceiling is ‘very high’ for Brashard Smith
Heading into Week 18’s regular-season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, Smith has shown some flashes of greatness, but they know he still has plenty of growth and development to achieve. In the team’s last matchup against the Raiders back in Week 7, he had 81 yards from scrimmage on 19 touches. They’re hopeful that this final game on Sunday will help him continue to grow in the right direction.
“I’m impressed with Brashard (Smith),” Chiefs OC Matt Nagy told reporters Thursday. “I think that when we got him in here, it was exciting to know what his ceiling is, and he’s got a ways to go yet. But you see the flashes. I mean, you just look at that punt return he had the other day. We see it in practices, things that he does, and hopefully he gets a few more opportunities here coming up in this game, and then as he grows through the offseason.”
As we get into the offseason, there’s a lot at stake for Smith. A good offseason and reaching his ceiling won’t just be about the physical part, like Coach Reid mentioned. It’ll also be about mastering the mental part of it that’s still foreign to him, in what will only be his third season as a running back.
“I think the offseason for Brashard will be critical for him,” Nagy continued. “Now, it’s like all these rookies when you come into this offense, and you get to be able to know, okay, where to line up. And, for instance, on the right side or left side in a run or pass, he can play fast. He’s a fast player. The next part for him is going to be just working through some of the protection side of it, you know, and as a running back, but it’s all right there. And I’m really proud of him, and I think the ceiling is very high for him.”
Dave Toub says a special teams role isn’t off the table for Chiefs RB Brashard Smith
Special teams has been a big part of the rookie season for Smith, who has 18 kick returns for 481 yards on the season and two punt returns for 55 yards. While the Chiefs have bigger things in mind for Smith in 2026 and beyond, special teams still looks to be a part of his role in the immediate future, according to Chiefs STC Dave Toub.
“I think kick return, for sure,” Toub said. “You know, punt returner, he’s still developing, we’re always looking for new guys. That’s just the way my life is, and with me, in our special teams world. He’s a guy that we’re going to have that we’re excited about.”
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Jan 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.