Chiefs Coordinator Quotes
August 4, 2026
PASS GAME COORDINATOR JOE BLEYMAIER
Q: What has the process been like since Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy has been gone?
BLEYMAIER: āYeah, weāve stepped up. We miss (Offensive Coordinator) EB (Eric Bieniemy) obviously, but in the meantime, everybody, (Offensive Line) Coach (Andy) Heck has taken on more roles with the run game and the offensive line, all the position coaches have stepped up. Thereās a little bit more administrative stuff to handle, but we've been doing this a long time. We all kind of know what's expected, and weāve been rolling from there.ā
Q: Players talk about taking mental reps when they are not in practice. Did you ever take mental reps in your position to prepare for being an Offensive Coordinator?
BLEYMAIER: āI wish I could say that I was preparing like that. Usually, there was so much going on in each of my past individual roles that it was all I could do to stay afloat with that. In the meantime, stepping up here, I know what's expected and how we operate. The great thing with (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid leading the show on offense and the assistant coaches we have, especially even with our veteran players, we miss (Offensive Coordinator) EB (Eric Bieniemy), but we don't have a leadership void. Everybody kind of understands what the standard is. And as far as the offensive coordinator, calling in the plays and making sure some of the administrative stuff is handled. That's been the biggest thing, other than that, everybody has kind of continued on the standard that EB set.ā
Q: On if his new role demands more of uploading āthe standardā of the team.
BLEYMAIER: āYeah, definitely a different style than (Offensive Coordinator) EB (Eric Bieniemy). Although, Iāve lost my voice here already, so some of him has worn off on me. But yeah, everyone has a different style. I think the guys want to be held accountable, and they want someone to constantly remind them (to) not let anything slide. And just say, āHere's what we're going to do.ā And when you have 100 plays, the tendency can be to point out the stuff that's egregious and then to let the little stuff slide play after play so that it doesn't appear for 100 plays, youāre just constantly nitpicking but that's the role of the coordinator. That's the role of whoever's in that position, is to continually uphold the standard. And so that's what we've been able to do as a staff, each of the position coaches, and then with EB gone, I've been trying to do that. I thought about having everything run smoothly while he was gone and how he would take that. And the funny thing was, he would not want anything to be smooth here. He would want this to be a challenging camp, the coaches to be challenging the guys, and for us to be getting better. And so that little voice in the back of your head, as you guys can imagine from EB out here, has been a good motivation.ā
Q: You guys have had QB Patrick Mahomes line up under center and roll to the left and right. How much of this camp is getting trust in that movement?
BLEYMAIER: āYeah, I think that's a good observation and I would rephrase it a little bit as in we're not going to put any limitations on what (QB) Patrick (Mahomes) can do. So, rather than maybe emphasizing what we're going to try to do more, we're really trying to eliminate holding him back or saying let's not put him in this sort of situation. Everything's open from under center to rolling left to going right, the whole playbook. And really trying to emphasize that this is normal and this is what we do, we're out there, he's got no limitations, but that is true.ā
Chiefs Players Quotes
August 4, 2026
LB COOPER MCDONALD
Q: Youāre in a different situation since camp last year, how does that feel?
MCDONALD: āYeah, for sure. Last year it was about making the squad, trying to do everything I could to make the team. This year, I was talking to my brother, and I was like this training camp compared to last, everything is slowed down, starting to know the playbook, picking it up well, out here competing with everyone. So, Iām just excited for the opportunity at hand.ā
Q: Once the pads came on, how did that change practice for you?
MCDONALD: āYeah, the physicality turns up, both sides of the ball, weāre competing, hitting and having fun. Football is a physical sport, so if you canāt bring that then itās not really football, in my opinion.ā
Q: What is something that is easier to grasp this year that wasnāt easy to grasp at this time last year?
MCDONALD: āJust different concepts in our defense. I may have kind of bunched them together last year, maybe not understand it, but this year kind of putting certain calls in different buckets as we say. So, doing it that way.ā
RB KENNETH WALKER
Q: How did it feel out there with pads on, going through a traditional football practice?
WALKER: āIt felt great. We have been out here with no pads, and you donāt know if itās a tackle or not. Itās good to have pads on finally. You get the thud and the football feel back.ā
Q: On the topic of caring for younger players.
WALKER: āJust bringing guys with me. I have been here longer than them in league. I donāt want them to make the same mistakes I made when I was just getting to the league if that makes sense. I want them to learn quicker than I learned. I donāt want there to be a drop off at all. So, making sure those guys are good. They have been doing great. Everybody in the room has been doing great. I just want to make sure we are all on the same accord.ā
Q: On his confidence in turning the field around to gain more yards.
WALKER: āThatās just how I have been playing since I was a kid. Just learning from my Pops and watching backs in the league. Honestly, just learning from my Pops though. If he says there are too many people over here, go the other way and I feel like it still works to this day. I donāt want to run into a crowd, when I can go somewhere in an open field.ā
NT KHYIRIS TONGA
Q: On being next to DT Chris Jones and working together.
TONGA: āMan, (DT Chris Jones) heās a dog. Years, years, at proving it and being able to play next to him and learn from him, see how he plays on run and pass rushes, itās just little things I try to pick up from him. Being with Chris, plays are going to come, and if he misses, we have to be there to make plays. But just being next to him man, it just elevates all of us to be better in our roles and doing what we got to do to make sure we are all in the same spot.ā
Q: What stands out about Peter Woods so far?
TONGA: āMan, (DL Peter) P Woods is a little pitbull. Man, heās nasty. He got something to him, and he has a chip on his shoulder, eager to learn, yeah just a sponge man. Just taking everything in and learning and growing. Itās cool to see that, in really all the rookies too, we got a good group of rookies coming in.ā
Q: On what he is striving to build on at training camp.