Chiefs Coordinator & Assistant Coach Quotes
August 19, 2026
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR STEVE SPAGNUOLO
Q: On DB Jaden Hicks’ performance on Saturday.
SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, (DB Jaden Hicks) he had a good game. I think Jaden probably stuck out as probably— played the best in that particular game. He had a really good day here on Monday. Him and I were just talking, he was a little down yesterday and then today he made a big play in the red zone, came up with the interception. But he's kind of been on that trajectory, and he should be and he's been in the system for a while now. And those kind of guys I’ve put a little bit more pressure on because I expect them to know more, not make mistakes that maybe a rookie would make.”
Q: On what he has seen out of CB Mansoor Delane since he has been a full participant in practice.
SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, (CB Mansoor Delane) he's definitely a competitor. We saw that on tape when we evaluated him. But like a lot of these young guys, (LB) Nick (Bolton) and I were just over there talking about it, sometimes you’ve got to knock some practice habits out of them. I think Mansoor is learning that. I think he's embracing it. I think the vets are pushing him toward that. It's unfortunate that he's missed all the time he's missed, but we'll try to get him caught up here. I don't know what will happen with the game. That'll be on (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid, but I'm anxious to get him out there and see what we’ve got.”
Q: What was your impression of your first look at DL Peter Woods’ first game on Saturday?
SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, listen, I hope to get (DL) Pete (Woods) some more reps than he had. I like Pete's demeanor. I think he's got a little bit of that alpha dog in him. Now, when you're a rookie, it's hard for that to come out because you're just feeling your way through. But he's got a serious tone about him that I really, really like because all the physical things he's got. So hopefully we can ramp him up, give him some more reps in this game and see what we’ve got.”
Q: Head Coach Andy Reid’s so understated publicly in a lot of ways, but obviously a great competitor. I'm just wondering what maybe you've seen in him in terms of the intensity and messaging since the way last season went and how he's responded to that?
SPAGNUOLO: “Yeah, pretty much like you would think (Head Coach) Andy (Reid) would. Listen, we're all pretty prideful people. And we got really used to winning here and last year was a little bit different and we’re trying not to go through that again. I think every one of us, Andy included, and from Andy on down, I think everybody's trying to step it up a notch. His model of mindset, I think is really important. And then he has a unique way of filtering that into his leaders, the (QB) Patricks (Mahomes), the (TE) Travises (Kelce), the (DT) Chrises (Jones), the (LB) Nicks (Bolton). And you can kind of see that making its way through the team.”
DEFENSIVE LINE COACH JOE CULLEN
Q: What have you seen in the development of DE R Mason Thomas and DL Peter Woods?
CULLEN: “Well, they're both talented, but they're really getting better every day. They showed some really good flashes in the game versus the Rams. (DE) R Mason (Thomas) with a couple of really nice pressures. One in the red zone and one at the end of the half where he got the ball and knocked it up in the air, but just continuing to develop and get better. They come to work every day. (DL) Peter (Woods) has a stout physical presence in the middle and has some athletic ability to rush as well. They're grinding, and we're grinding them to get better every day.”
Q: On DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
CULLEN: “I'll tell you what, he's explosive. He hasn't missed anything. He's really worked hard. Now, you've got to remember, (DE) Felix (Anudike-Uzomah) wasn't healthy. Last year, he had surgery to repair what was done, and he's really attacked the offseason. He's in better shape, and he's more physical and more explosive. I'm really happy with where he's continuing to get better.”
Q: How much do you need more from DT Chris Jones that’s not just on the field in terms of getting guys to understand what’s asked of them?
CULLEN: “Well, as (DT) Chris (Jones) goes, we go, but you've also got to have help around him. That goes with (DE) George (Karlaftis), goes with (DE) R Mason (Thomas), (DE) Felix (Anudike-Uzomah), all the guys. (NT Khyiris) KT (Tonga), another great addition. I'll tell you, Chris is in great physical shape. This is my fifth camp here, fifth year, and I equate this camp to my first year where he dominated. He's just been dominating every day. He keeps his body in great shape all year round. That helps, but he's developed more (as) a leader. Every year, he's gotten better and better as a leader, and he really is showing great leadership with those guys.”
Q: What do you like most about NT Khyiris Tonga?
CULLEN: “He's another one. He's big, he's physical, mans that nose tackle position. But he's quick and explosive and he's had some battles with (C) Creed (Humphrey), which I haven't seen in my five years here, back and forth every day, not only in the pass rush drills, but the run drills. But I really like his work ethic and he's just a quiet assassin. He just comes to work every day.”
DEFENSIVE BACKS COACH DAVE MERRITT
Q: What do you see in CB Mansoor Delane now that he’s in full health?
MERRITT: “Yeah, seeing some of the things that we saw on tape coming out of LSU. (He’s a) guy who has sticky coverage and getting him back in pads and seeing that you can actually tackle people now. Hopefully, that’s going to show up this weekend.”
Q: With replacing three starters what is your overall feel for how this unit is coming together?
MERRITT: “No, I think you’re right on point because you’re losing the (S Bryan) Cooks and your losing (CB Trent) McDuffie and of course (CB Jaylen) Watson. So, you’re trying to get the chemistry with (S Alohi) Gilman and all these guys that are new back there communicating. We’re still trying to make sure we tie these shoestrings really tight. Right now, to see the ones go out and play a little more together, we’ll get a better assessment as far as where we are. But you’re really not going to know until you hit full stride, and those guys are out there for a game.”
Q: What was your plan with DB Jaden Hicks playing the most snaps for the preseason match versus the Rams?
MERRITT: “No, same thing you just said. (DB) Jaden Hicks needed to play, we were not going to play some of the other guys a lot and he showed up and played well. I think you know, as we all saw, he played fast. He was hitting people from sideline to sideline. So, it was a good thing to see him out there perform. He needs to do it again. You don’t want to be a one hit wonder. That’s probably one of the songs I made 30 years ago, you guys didn’t even hear about it, did you? All right; I was a one hit wonder (laughter). Anyway, no, he did well and so hopefully he’ll continue to ascend and do what we want him to do.”
Q: With DB Nohl Williams and CB Chris Roland-Wallace how did you tell they were ready to play last year?
MERRITT: “Yeah, I think the thing is, last year getting (DB) Nohl Williams baptized into playing, and that allowed him to get his feet wet. Coming into this year throwing him out there, some with the ones and getting them going against really good receivers, that’s good for him. As far as – I call him ‘Crow,’ all right (CB Chris) Roland-Wallace, he has been a player that we would love to play at safety - but then a Swiss army knife that he can move down to play a little bit in the box and help us out at nickel. That’s one of the things that we’ve done well with him, trying to just have that position flex. So, they’ve all done well.”
OFFENSIVE LINE COACH ANDY HECK
Q: Thoughts on T Kahlil Benson and his story getting here as a UDFA?
HECK: “I think you’re right. It’s a great story, and our scouts did a great job bringing him in. Right away, you could see in our rookie minicamp that he had dominant physical traits. So, we’re doing our best to train him at a couple of positions, give him an opportunity to grow, learn our system, learn a couple of positions. He’s done a great job; he’s working his tail off.”
Q: What was your messages to the offensive line after the game regarding penalties?
HECK: “Obviously, we’ve got to eliminate those penalties. It’s clear that those are drive killers. I mean we’re going, we’re going, we’re moving the ball–we have a penalty, we go backwards. So, we’ve got to be more disciplined than that. We got to play with our hands inside. We got to make sure we’re sharp on the snap count, and we’re looking for guys who can do that.”
Q: Why was it so important to move T Kahlil Benson to G? With G Trey Smith being out and was it to see his versatility?
HECK: “Absolutely, the number one benefit is for him, as a tackle primarily, probably his best position, he’s a guy that will only add to his value if he can play guard. So, with (G) Trey (Smith) missing some time, that’s a great opportunity to give a guy some training for those days that, hey, I may want to (or) need to plug him in there to find our best combination. So, it only benefits him.”
Q: What have you learned about T Ethan Driskell over the years through his injury hardships?
HECK: “(T) Ethan (Driskell) cares a ton about football. He’s a good competitor. He’s a very tough, hard-nosed player. So, that showed itself last year when he was working through his surgery and coming back, and getting healthy, and he was there every day in our meeting room doing what he could. He’s come out and definitely asserted himself physically in this camp, just cleaning up some technique things (is) primarily we’re focusing on with him.”
WIDE RECEIVERS COACH CHAD O’SHEA
Q: On rookie WR Cyrus Allen.
O’SHEA: “(WR) Cyrus (Allen) has come in and he’s taken the coaching. He’s done a great job of working extremely hard and trying to concentrate on the things we’ve asked him to do. There is so much detail and small things that go into being successful as a receiver in this league. He has certainly tried to do the things we’re asking him to do. It’s been good to get him out there. I believe time on task; he’ll just continue to get better. He certainly has done a lot of things positive because he has worked very hard.”
Q: I know you and Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy have a more vocal way of coaching. Do you feel the guys respond well to that?
O’SHEA: “I just think it is very important to be genuine and be who you are. That’s just my style. Is to just have a lot of energy and to let them know. I think that’s contagious. I do believe energy is contagious and I hope it is with our group. I hope you see the product on the field in those guys and in their play, and the energy they have by the way they play.“
Q: On adjusting route-running techniques to Head Coach Andy Reid’s offense.
O’SHEA: “Yeah, it’s a great question because as much as there are routes that are similar, that are universal throughout the league the way we teach them, there are going to be some things that are very different based off the way that (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid wants them. Coach Reid has been so successful obviously and has done it in a way in which it’s been successful in route running techniques. It’s so important for me to teach it that same way and that’s what I’ve done. You know we have had a singular way we have coached it. Right? I think the players are really taking to that. Just so much respect for Coach Reid and the way he has taught his techniques. You better bet I am going to teach those techniques exactly that way.”
Q: Can you talk about rookie WR Jalen Royals and how he has come along since you first met him this last offseason?
O’SHEA: “Yeah Jalen is another guy—like I said with the other guys I have mentioned, the receiver room has worked extremely hard. He is playing in a multiple position role for us. He has some versatility because he is very smart mentally. So, we have moved him around the formation and that’s been a very positive thing for him because it’s increased the amount of times he’s out there on plays and it obviously increases your value when you can do more for the team. It starts with mentally being able to handle those things.”
RUNNING BACKS COACH DEMARCO MURRAY
Q: What do you see as positives and negatives you learned about RB Emmett Johnson on Saturday against the Rams?
MURRAY: “I would start with the positives with (RB) Emmett (Johnson) as you know, he ran the ball extremely hard, (was) physical behind his pads. I was happy to see him do that. Had some good versatility in the passing game as well, but other than that just you know, we have to clean up some foot work details, some route depth, but again, first time for him to be out there as a rookie, the play-- the way that he played, I felt like he did a really good job. But, again, we talk about having great details in foot work, great details in our route depth and where we need to be for the quarterback. So, those are a couple things that he’ll clean up, but for the most part I was happy with how he played.”
Q: What are some challenges with coaching someone as polished as RB Kenneth Walker coming into camp?
MURRAY: “Yeah, he’s an unbelievable player. A really good leader for us. He does a good job at working hard every single day, so there’s not a lot of times where you have to yell at him about effort, so for me, there’s just a couple things he needs to clean up, with eyes, pad level, but a guy that’s as polished as Ken is, you just want to add a couple more tools to his tool belt. But he’s very receptive of that and that’s the kind of player that he is. He comes out every single day, he wants to get better, he doesn’t mind the hard coaching, but again his biggest critique is himself. That helps you as a coach to find a thing here or there but for the most part man, he’s very eye opening when it comes to being receptive of information and understanding. He’ll text me ‘Hey Coach, you’re right, I saw that after I watched the film,’ but again, he’s been everything, plus, that we’ve wanted.”
Q: On improving Brashard Smith’s pass protection game.
MURRAY: “Yeah, I mean, the whole room has been really good, but he’s one of the guys for me that I’ve been the most proud of for taking that next step, knowing that this is a big responsibility. We have the best quarterback (Patrick Mahomes), we have to keep him clean. I think for him, he wanted to take that next step in his game. You know, he’s good with the ball in his hands, he’s good running routes, but he knew he had to grow in the protection game and understanding football, so, didn’t have a lot of knowledge in that aspect but again, in the spring as well in camp, he’s really hit that head on and I’m proud of him for that. There are still some learning curves for him to continue to do that hand placement, eye placement, leverage and things of that nature, but he’s been a very improved pass protection back and I’m proud of him.”
Q: How’s it been coming back to the NFL to coach these guys?
MURRAY: “It’s been awesome. You know, to be back on this side. I had a great time at Oklahoma and college, but this is what I’m used to. This is where I feel comfortable at, and again, got a great staff around us. It’s been awesome to be here, it’s been awesome to be kind of a fly on the wall and learn from the offensive coaches, as well as the defensive coaches. But overall, man I’m excited. I’m excited about where we are but really excited about where we’re going.”
Chiefs Assistant General Manager Quotes
August 19, 2026
ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER MIKE BRADWAY
Q: Can you go through where you think the receivers are right now, WR Cyrus Allen and WR Rashee Rice in particular?
BRADWAY: “I think it’s been a little tough not getting everyone on the field at the same time. I like what a lot of those guys have shown. You know, (WR) Cyrus (Allen) and what he has shown so far, and I think (WR) Rashee (Rice) is getting better every day. It’s good to see (WR Xavier) X (Worthy) back out there. Just getting all of those guys healthy on the field. I think we feel good about it and the skill sets we have. It’s just getting everyone together and giving some of those young guys an opportunity to stand out as well.”
Q: On having the second youngest roster in the league.
BRADWAY: “You obviously want to have a blend of veterans that have played and have an innate leadership ability but also a lot of young core that’s coming up. I am excited about the young core whether that’s the rookies or the second-year players. I think we do have a good blend of veteran leadership that can mold those guys. I think our young guys have taken the lead. Whether it’s their practice habits or them in meetings. I think it’s exciting to have that kind of youth. It’s good to have talented youth as well.”
Q: What did you guys see in UDFA T Kahlil Benson?
BRADWAY: “What a unique story. It was one of those where—listen we had our 90-man roster. We had enough tackles and we needed some bodies for rookie minicamp. We had some like for him from the scouts, and he had one of the better athletic profiles after he tested. We made a call and he came to rookie minicamp. Within a couple of days, you realized this guy might be something, so you sign him. Each day I think he has gotten better. He’s a big piece of clay that you can mold. There’s going to be up and downs and we are playing him in a couple of spots. His practice habits—I mean he’s a big dude and strong. He’s got athleticism. You know it’s been a unique and fun story to see.”
Q: On how the conversation goes when making trades during the preseason.
BRADWAY: “Once we get that final preseason game and we have all the information from teams, guys that might be available and what it might take to get them. I think you balance out, is it worth giving up a future pick for a guy. You have to be sure that that guy is going to come in and have a role, so you aren’t just wasting assets. There has got to be buy in from the personnel side and obviously the coaches. Are they going to use them whether it’s offense, defense or special teams? There could be an opportunity for a player for player type of move. We are certainly open for business—open for anything.”
ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER CHRIS SHEA
Q: TE Travis Kelce’s contract is unique as a three-year deal. Is that a legacy deal that you used to retain him or is that something that you will use more frequently?
SHEA: “Well, different teams have different philosophies about how to structure contracts and generally we've been a team that has pretty simple, straightforward deals. In (TE) Travis's (Kelce) case, with him wanting to come back and we're delighted that he did, we used some tools that are in the toolbox that maybe we don't dust off very often to be able to spread his cap hits over multiple years. And (Chairman & CEO) Clark Hunt was allowing us to do that in this special instance with his special legacy and role on the team. Any time that you spread cap hits out into the future years, you're kind of borrowing, using a credit card. So, we don't do a lot of that, but, of course, with Travis, with him wanting to come back, we used some things that we wouldn't normally otherwise think about.”
Q: How do you feel about your cap situation?
SHEA: “Well, we feel good about where we're at. Obviously, the rules change a little bit when the season starts. Certain things come onto the cap that aren't there now. We have a plan to create ample space for us to be able to operate with those charges that come on and create some flexibility. We have lots of avenues to create more flexibility and more cap space. We may take advantage of some or all in the next few weeks, but we certainly have the ability and likely will create some cap space to get us into the regular season.”
Q: How often do you get surprised by the moves of other teams?
SHEA: “Sure, well, having done this for a long time, I think more than you'd think. So, retaining flexibility to be able to entertain the unforeseen is an important aspect of how we try to structure our cap management philosophy. We really want to present (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) and (General Manager) Brett (Veach) with the flexibility to entertain smart roster moves that are independent of cap constraints that we may have. We certainly have some of them, but we don't have a perfect crystal ball, none of us in the front office, and opportunities present themselves that are unforeseen. So, yeah, we plan to be flexible. There are limits to that given that we have a lot of good players under contract, but we try to present Brett and Coach with opportunities through our cap management.”
Q: QB Patrick Mahomes got a restructured deal in the offseason. How do you build out the rest of your roster?