Chiefs Coordinator Quotes
August 18, 2026
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR ERIC BIENIEMY
OPENING STATEMENT: “Good afternoon. Hope all is well. First and foremost, I want to say this, thank you guys for all the love, the support. Obviously, the unfortunate circumstances which took place is very hurtful in a way. But on top of that, I just respect that you guys are respecting our privacy and hats off to you. I also would like to say thank you to the Hunt family, the entire Chiefs family, for the outpouring, the love and the support that my family has received through this particular situation. But with all that said, we are back to football, and I'm all ears.”
Q: Do you feel like TE Travis Kelce does about training camp at Missouri Western State. Is it a sanctuary for you?
BIENIEMY: “Yes. It feels good to be back. First and foremost, obviously, it's an opportunity to get back in with the guys, to watch them work. That way now, we can all grow and get to learning each other. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of new faces, and we want to continue the developmental process, but it feels good to be back because obviously when you've been in this environment, it becomes your family. This is your family away from your family. So, it feels good to be in this environment.”
Q: What are your impressions of RB Kenneth Walker now that you have seen him at camp?
BIENIEMY: “(RB) Kenneth (Walker) has been very impressive. He's been working his tail off. The thing that I love about him is his competitive spirit. He gets up, he competes every single day. The thing that I also love, he does not like to be wrong, which is not a bad thing because he wants to be argumentative. But on top of that, he wants to make sure that he's doing the right things. So, when you have that type of person and that player and the example that he shows out on the field, you know that he's going to give us the best opportunity to have success on Sundays.”
Q: What's been the most pleasant or intriguing for you to now be working with QB Patrick Mahomes again?
BIENIEMY: “I'll tell you this, and you know what, I don't even think it's necessarily the stuff that (QB Patrick Mahomes) he does on the field. We've seen that. Obviously, he's a tremendous competitor. He works his tail off. Everybody understands the talent that he has. When I came back and I watched him work in rehab, that was what stood out, just his commitment to wanting to get back, his commitment to wanting to be out there with his teammates. All the hard work that he put in with (Assistant Athletic Trainer) Julie (Frymyer) and (Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance) Rick (Burkholder) and all of them in the training room, that was very impressive to watch. And if anything, if anybody was soft, it was probably me, but watching him go through it, gives me a whole different perspective of not only the player, but the man that he is, all right, and just the type of person that he is and that he's going to turn out to be on the football field.”
Q: What were your thoughts on the performance of the team on Saturday?
BIENIEMY: “I think our young guys, they did a fairly good job. Obviously, there's a lot of competition in the room. Guys still have to make sure that they're doing all the fundamental things the right way. It's still a growing process. Was it perfect? No, it wasn't perfect. But there was some good, and we'll continue coaching it up. But on top of that, we’ve got to make sure that we continue understanding the fundamentals, continue building upon that and detailing all the little things that we're expecting them to do. The thing that I appreciate also, too, is that (Running Backs) Coach DeMarco (Murray) is doing a heck of a job with them of teaching them, getting them ready. But on top of that, putting them in the right positions to go out there and excel and show their talents.”
Chiefs Players Quotes
August 18, 2026
RB BRASHARD SMITH
Q: Head Coach Andy Reid spoke on you bulking up:
SMITH: “Oh yeah. Muscle wise for sure. I’ve been lifting a lot, squatting a lot. Just getting ready for pass protection for sure.”
Q: What are some of the things Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy focuses on?
SMITH: “Mainly footwork, alignment, just the little things, like I have the talent but it’s more — its way bigger than that. It’s more just knowing exactly where you are on your routes, knowing exactly what landmark you have. Just the little things really, he’s been focusing on that for sure,”
Q: How have you guys learned from RB Kenneth Walker in the running back room?
SMITH: “Yeah, (RB Kenneth Walker) K9, he’s a dog, man. He got the whole group just coming along with him. I feel like he’s got us running harder, just reading things better. I feel he’s a great veteran to be behind for sure.”
LB JEFFREY BASSA
Q: Difference from year one to year two.
BASSA: “I take a lot of pride in my football IQ and being able to come into a system and learn the defense, learn the fundamentals and the basics. Just like you mentioned going from year one to year two that’s a lot just from a developmental standpoint. They are depending on you to go into that full offseason and really sit down by yourself and take in the depths of the paybook and learn that by yourself. To be able to come back and know what you are doing confidently and to be able to communicate out there. If you are communicating out there and you’re loud and talking and being demonstrative with your communication, that means you have a lot of confidence in yourself and the calls that you are making on the field. Yes, that was a huge jump for me. Just to have that full offseason under my belt and being able to take a deep dive into the playbook like I did. It showed when I first came back. There’s still some things I am trying to get to that elite football IQ level with understanding offenses and defenses.”
Q: Has having a full offseason under your belt allowed you to play faster and freer this year?
BASSA: “Yes, sir. For sure. Flying around with confidence and making the right calls and making the right checks. Being out there with the guys, whatever group I am in. Just being able to understand what we are doing and not only what I am doing but also what people with my defensive line and people in the backend are doing as well.”
Q: Pros and cons of performance on first preseason game.