Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
October 2, 2026
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, the only injury is (T) Josh Simmons. Look forward to the challenge of playing the Raiders, good football team. Two 3-0 teams playing and in Las Vegas. Doesn’t get any better than that and great opportunity. Had a good week of practice and look forward to again that challenge. Time’s yours.”
Q: Has DB Chamarri Conner shown enough to return?
REID: “Yeah.”
Q: On the Raiders nine takeaways.
REID: “Yeah, they’ve done a good job of punching the ball out, tip balls, and then interceptions. So, they’ve covered all those areas and done a nice job. So, you’ve got to protect the football is what it comes down to.”
Q: What do you think has allowed your team to take off offensively when going under center?
REID: “(QB Patrick) Pat’s (Mahomes) been doing it since he’s been here, so that’s not new to him. Maybe it’s the volume of it, but it’s not that new. He’s able to execute all that, just like he can in the gun.”
Q: What have you seen from TE Noah Gray?
REID: “Listen, (TE) Noah (Gray) does it the right way. He is 100 miles an hour on everything. He is a smart guy. I mean, his practice, he practices like he plays, 100 miles an hour, and he’s a great kid on top of that.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
October 2, 2026
G TREY SMITH
Q: On the opposing defense’s decision to play the pass vs. the run.
SMITH: “Yeah, I think that just having a great running back room and schematically getting things going with the run game, just allows our offense to be that much better. And definitely wears down defenders, and adds a level of unpredictability as well. They’re not really anticipating pass every play or anything like that. You keep them honest, keep them on their toes while also wear them out, so you don’t necessarily get their rush in that impression too.”
Q: How impressive has it been to see what T Kahlil Benson has been able to do?
SMITH: “It’s been freaking awesome man. To watch (T Kahlil Benson) him, as an undrafted guy coming in here, getting an opportunity and just keep excelling, and working his butt of every day like he does. He gets coached hard, and he responds really well to it. He responds to every challenge they present to him, and just as an older player, in a similar position, (C) Creed (Humphrey) and I just try to give him any encouragement, advice and tips that we can. I’m really excited by his development, not only as a player but as a person, man he’s a great guy. I can’t say enough good things about KB. Like I said, just being a pro and coming to work every day. And it’s not going to be perfect, I mean, hell I’m not perfect, as a rookie starting in the NFL, he’s not going to be perfect, but he’s working to be better and that’s like the best part about it. He’s eager to learn, he’s eager to be great.”
Q: Does it change your approach when you have guys like RB Kenneth Walker and RB Emmett Johnson on the team, knowing that you might have another opportunity to block down the field?
SMITH: “Yeah, 100 percent. Just trying to finish a play, where it’s a pile or anything of that nature. Like I said, they’re going to keep fighting for yardage, so we’ve got to keep fighting for them as well.”
LB DRUE TRANQUILL
Q: On the different defensive personnel looks.
TRANQUILL: “Well, I think a coordinator’s looking at personnel and if we roll dime (personnel) out there, they’re probably expecting that we can get in certain looks but if we leave a nickel (personnel) package out there with two linebackers, they’re probably not expecting us to role our coverage sometimes and we still do that and so, able to present some looks even out of nickel personnel.”
Q: What’s unique to you about this team?
TRANQUILL: “Resilient. It’s cool to see how many new guys have come in through free agency or the draft and how quickly guys have meshed. So, I’ve had experiences in the NFL where that takes some time, takes some games, can even take a few seasons. And to see guys come in right away and click right away and click with our culture and the way we do things has been cool to see.”
Q: What stands out to you about the Chiefs-Raiders rivalry?
TRANQUILL: “Yeah, there’s a deep history there. It’s fun even coming into the organization, learning about how deep and rich that tradition is. But both teams 3-0 right here, for a chance to be top of the division. I know they’re riding high, and they’ve got a lot of confidence right now. They’re playing really good football, and we’ve got a good team too, so it’s exciting, man. It’s early in the season, but it feels like a really big game.”
TE NOAH GRAY
Q: How has RB Kenneth Walker helped the offense?
GRAY: “(RB Kenneth Walker) He's a phenomenal running back. I love him to death. He works hard. He's just a humble dude and an even better guy, though, in the locker room. He's just a tremendous human being. It's been really awesome getting to know him and really glad he's a part of the team.”
Q: On the environment in the locker room this season.
GRAY: “Yeah, I love these guys. It's a great locker room. I've got a lot of friends in that locker room, guys that are going to be lifelong friends of mine. So, it's always great when you get to come to work and enjoy and love what you do, and I do that every single day, and I've been blessed doing that. So really just a shout out to those guys. We enjoy our time together, but when it's time to be serious and practice and meetings and stuff like that, those guys are locked in. So, it's a great environment and super blessed to be a part of it.”
Q: What do you make of the season that TE Travis Kelce has had?