KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Although the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2025 season may have been over earlier than any other season this decade, it doesn’t mean the team hasn’t had its hands full in the new year.
So far, Kansas City’s offseason has been highlighted by a plethora of coaching additions. From a new – or returning, rather – offensive coordinator to various other new additions to the staff, the Chiefs are continuing to try to patch the holes that sank their ship in the 2025-26 season.
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With rumors and new staff members being introduced frequently this offseason, it can be hard to keep track of who all will be on the sidelines at Arrowhead Stadium in 2026. For that reason, here’s a look at each coach the Chiefs have added to their staff this offseason:
Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy
One of the most integral parts of any team’s offense is the offensive coordinator, and with former OC Matt Nagy’s contract expiring at the end of the previous season, the Chiefs were unmistakably in the market for an upgrade.
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Hence, the Chiefs chose to reunite with an old friend: Eric Bieniemy. Bieniemy was the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs from 2018 to 2022. He was also the running backs coach from 2013 to 2017.
Following Bieniemy’s 2023 departure, he joined the Washington Commanders as offensive coordinator before joining the staff at the University of California – Los Angeles as the team’s assistant coach and offensive coordinator.
In 2025, Bieniemy oversaw the running backs for the Chicago Bears, a team that led the NFC North Division and guided running back D’Andre Swift to a career year.
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Bieniemy spoke to his experiences outside the Chiefs’ organization back in January, explaining how they’ll help him implement new ideas into a Chiefs offense that was, frankly, derivative.
“More than anything, you develop patience. You develop a broad view of things. It forces you to go back and maybe look at things a little bit different,” he said.
“Anybody can call plays, but you’ve got to make sure that you are doing what’s best for those players in that particular time, because the talent level may not equate to what you may have worked with in the past.”
Running Backs Coach DeMarco Murray
Kansas City’s rushing attack was perhaps the most glaring aspect of the team that lagged behind week-in and week-out last season – and if you’re a fan of the NFL in the 2010’s, you’re probably already familiar with the team’s apparent solution.
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Enter DeMarco Murray, the 2014 NFL AP Offensive Player of the Year for the Dallas Cowboys.
Wednesday evening, the report broke that Murray would be taking over as running backs coach for the Chiefs, subsequently getting his first opportunity to coach at the professional level. Marray previously led the running backs at the University of Arizona in 2019 and at his alma mater, Oklahoma, from 2020 to 2025.
While OU’s run game may not have been as potent as some might expect from a coach making the leap from the collegiate level to the NFL. However, the lack of stability within the team and the nature of its offenses during his stint with OU should certainly be noted.
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Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that the Chiefs weren’t the only NFL team interested in Murray’s skills.
While fans will have to wait till the start of the season to gauge Murray’s effectiveness, optimism can be found in the pairing of two former NFL running backs, as Bieniemy also played in the NFL for nearly a decade.
Wide Receivers Coach Chad O’Shea
O’Shea is another coach added to the staff this offseason who is making a return to Kansas City; he joined the NFL as an assistant with the Chiefs back in 2003.
Following his tenure with the Chiefs, he’s racked up 18 years of experience as a WR coach. O’Shea coached the receivers of the Minnesota Vikings from 2007-08, then the New England Patriots from 2009-18 – a tenure that granted him three Super Bowl wins. He was the OC for the Miami Dolphins in 2019 and then returned to the WR room from 2020-25 with the Cleveland Browns.
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That type of experience could be just what the relatively young WR room of the Chiefs needs after the firing of former WR coach Connor Embree after just his third season at the position. Fans should also take note of the fact that O’Shea’s time as a WR coach includes time spent with elite receivers like Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman, Deion Branch, Chad Johnson, Amari Cooper and more.
Assistant Defensive Line Coach Terry Bradden Jr.
On the other side of the ball, another three-time Super Bowl-winning coach is back on the Chiefs after departing the team for the Nebraska Cornhuskers before the 2025 season.
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Terry Bradden Jr. helped coach Chris Jones and the Chiefs’ defensive line from 2021-2024, meaning he was with the team for all five of the team’s Super Bowl appearances under Andy Reid.
Much like KC’s run game, the defensive line was a common denominator in terms of 2025’s failures. A big reason for that was a down year from defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Even though Jones is entering his year-32 season, the Chiefs are still expecting a great deal of output from him on the defensive line. Pairing Jones with another coach that he previously thrived under could help him return to form in 2026, or at least that seems to be the plan for now.
Offensive Quality Control Coach Nate Pagan
Nate Pagan brings another perspective to the Chiefs’ offense that shouldn’t go unnoticed. After nine seasons with Vilanova, and seven as the team’s WRs coach, Pagan joins the Chiefs as an offensive quality control coach.
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In the NFL, quality control coaches prioritize scouting opponents through game film and data. With Pagan’s expertise in the passing game, his skills could likely be used to help O’Shea prepare the Chiefs’ WR room to a better degree than they were in ’25.
Defensive Quality Control Coach CJ Cox
On the defensive side, CJ Cox will serve as a quality control coach in 2026. He’s been a defensive backs coach for the majority of his coaching career, most recently with Coastal Carolina. He was also involved in the Chiefs’ Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship back in 2022 and 2023.
As mentioned, Cox has a great deal of experience working with defensive backs. With Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s emphasis on blitzes out of the secondary, Cox will help similarly prep the team to Pagan, just on the other side of the ball.
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