Kansas City Chiefs 2026 Preview

WRITTEN BY: HILOW

Coaching/Philosophy/Scheme Changes ::

• Offense: Eric Bieniemy returns as the offensive coordinator after serving in the same position from 2018 through 2022. It isn’t as simple as taking what this team did the last time Bieniemy had his hand in the offense and extrapolating it forward to 2026, but it is noteworthy that the last time Mahomes and Bieniemy were together the team ranked first (2018), second (2019), sixth (2020), fourth (2021), and first (2022) in points per game. Head coach Andy Reid has already confirmed he will continue to call offensive plays. It is also noteworthy that Reid called offensive plays from 2018 through 2022.
• Defense: Steve Spagnuolo retains his position as the defensive coordinator. 2026 will be his eighth season in that role.

Personnel Changes ::

• Signed RB Kenneth Walker via free agency. Added key defensive players with the signings of DT Khyiris Tonga, S Alohi Gilman, CB Kader Kohou, and CB Kaiir Elam.
• Selected CB Mansoor Delane (pick No. 6) and DT Peter Woods (No. 29) in the first and EDGE R Mason Thomas in the second (No. 40). Added RB Emmett Johnson in the fifth (No. 161) and QB Grant Nussmeier in the seventh (No. 249).
• QB Patrick Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL and LCL. The most recent update from Reid is that Mahomes has a realistic chance of being ready for Week 1.
• Added QB Justin Fields as the primary backup to Mahomes.
• The NFL closed the Rashee Rice disciplinary case on 3 April with no further discipline. Rice is fully cleared to play in the 2026 season.
• Traded CB Trent McDuffie to the Rams and lost CB Jaylen Watson and S Bryan Cook via free agency. Other notable free agent departures include WR Hollywood Brown, LB Leo Chanel, RB Isiah Pacheco, DL Derrick Nnadi, and OT Jawaan Taylor.

Schedule ::

• Divisional Games (6):
  • Broncos x 2, Raiders x 2, Chargers x 2
• AFC East (4):
  • Patriots, Jets, @Bills, @Dolphins
• NFC West (4):
  • Cardinals, 49ers, @Rams, @Seahawks
• Colts, @Bengals, @Falcons

Bull Case ::

Patrick Mahomes could be ready to go by the start of the regular season, which is something initially thought to be completely impossible. Furthermore, the Chiefs’ top receiving option avoided further league discipline this offseason. Finally, the franchise significantly upgraded their run game with the addition of Kenneth Walker. It doesn’t take too much convincing before we start to see the upside case here, and that’s before we reintroduce Eric Bieniemy or any continued growth from Xavier Worthy. Sure, Travis Kelce is aged past his prime, but the offense has plenty of firepower to return to the top of the league in scoring in 2026.

On the other side of the ball, Steve Spagnuolo remains one of the top defensive coordinators in the league, but he’ll be forced to work his magic with an almost entirely new secondary moving forward. His intricate scheme and vast moving pieces require both elite athleticism and communication, something that could take this unit time to fully master. In other words, not only does the offense look good-to-elite on paper, but their defense is unlikely to start the season playing to the level we’ve grown accustomed to.

Take those two pieces together and we could have a recipe for increased tempo, quicker paths to the “oh shit” phase of games, and increased pressure on the offense to maximize scoring, all while the offensive pieces on paper have improved.