The Kansas City Chiefs might lose another assistant coach next offseason if rumors are true about Matt Nagy’s coaching stock.
Halfway through the 2017 regular season and rumors are already beginning to swirl around season-ending changes for teams looking to hit the reset button after what is projected to be a dismal season. Oftentimes, those franchises will look to the coaching staffs of winning teams to poach their very next head coach in the hopes of having their success catch fire in a new location. For the Kansas City Chiefs, they’re likely to lose at least one assistant coach for a new head coaching gig, and there’s potentially multiple losses coming this offseason.
In a recent column at NFL.com, Tom Pelissero made a list of the top assistant head coaches who will likely be in line for interviews this offseason, which is really only a couple months away. Matt Nagy, the Chiefs offensive coordinator, is the very first name listed as a bright young offensive mind who has served plenty of time under Andy Reid despite his relative youth among coaches. Pelissero writes:
"The former Arena League quarterback has trained under Andy Reid for a decade, rising to co-offensive coordinator last year, and now he has the solo job. People who have worked with Nagy, 39, say he has done tremendous work with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes and would have Reid’s endorsement. Nagy doesn’t call plays, but Doug Pederson didn’t do that very much in Kansas City before he landed the Eagles’ head coaching job, either (nor did Reid in his pre-Philly days). One person who knows Colts general manager Chris Ballard says Nagy will be high (if not first) on Ballard’s list if Indianapolis makes a change. The two worked together in Kansas City."
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If Nagy is among the responsible parties for a rejuvenated Alex Smith, then he definitely deserves a closer look. Smith’s new offensive output is one of the biggest storylines of the season, as is the Chiefs offense in general. It’s hard to tell who specifically deserves credit but those doing the research will sift out what exactly Nagy had to contribute to the league’s leading rushing attack, a deep throwing Alex Smith and the turning of Tyreek Hill into a top flight wideout.
It should be noted that Nagy isn’t the only Chiefs coach connected to a head coaching role, even in Indianapolis. Just last offseason, Dave Toub, the Chiefs’ special teams coach, had a couple more head coach interviews and it’s only a matter of time until he gets his shot. Chris Ballard, the Colts GM, will be very familiar with what he can bring, and the same can be said of former GM John Dorsey, who will undoubtedly land somewhere new. Both GMs will likely be interested in installing a trusted friend as head coach.
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If the Chiefs lose Nagy, it will be yet another offensive loss at the position after watching Doug Pederson leave for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs would still have Brad Childress in house as an assistant and Eric Bieniemy has earned a move up the ladder as well to offensive coordinator from running backs coach.