The Kansas City Chiefs want 2026 to be different, which is why Andy Reid didn’t hesitate making tough decisions this offseason, changing his coaching staff for next year. Not only are they hiring new coaches—including snatching a Super Bowl champion coach from Shedeur Sanders’ Cleveland Browns—but the Chiefs are also making firings to make room for new arrivals.
On Monday, Arrowhead Corner reported on X that the Chiefs are parting ways with assistant running backs coach Mark DeLeone, with Tucker D. Franklin noting that DeLeone is no longer under coaching staff on the Chiefs’ official website.
Running backs coach Todd Pinkston doesn’t appear on that section either, just like wide receivers coach Connor Embree—who was reportedly fired by the Chiefs a few weeks ago. Reid is expected to have new people overseeing the RBs room in 2026.
Mark DeLeone’s experience prior to working with Chiefs RBs
The Chiefs’ running game left a lot to be desired in 2025, and having DeLeone in that area was shocking, to say the least. Until last season, the 38-year-old had spent his entire coaching career working on the defensive side of the ball.
Prior to returning to Kansas City in this new role last year, DeLeone served as inside linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens (2024), Detroit Lions (2021), Chicago Bears (2019-20), and even the Chiefs (2018).
His previous jobs in Kansas City were also on defense, serving as defensive quality control coach in Reid’s first three years at the helm (2013-15) before switching to assistant linebackers coach (2016-17). Therefore, it wasn’t exactly a surprise to see the Chiefs RBs struggle in 2025, and now Reid is trying to fix the situation.
More staff changes for Reid in Kansas City
Surprisingly, Matt Nagy continues to appear on the Chiefs’ website despite the fact that his contract as offensive coordinator is up. Either way, the Chiefs seem to have finally moved on from Nagy to reunite with another Super Bowl champion.
Monday was a busy day in Kansas City, with NFL media reporting that Eric Bieniemy is expected to return as offensive coordinator. This signals that the Chiefs have definitely turned the page on Nagy, who is still a candidate for different head coaching openings around the NFL.
With Chad O’Shea taking over as WRs coach, Bieniemy returning as OC and DeLeone among multiple departures, Reid’s coaching staff will look different enough for Chiefs fans to notice. We’ll have to wait and see whether this translates into better results than last year.
