Three KC Chiefs assistants with head coaching potential for 2023
By Jacob Milham
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has an extensive coaching tree in the NFL. Who are some of his current assistants with head coaching potential in 2023?
Growing up, I never really understood what made a good NFL head coach. My father watched college football more, saying that they cared about the game itself and not the money or fame. So, while the Kansas City Chiefs had Dick Vermeil and Herm Edwards leading the team, I wasn’t watching them. I was watching Bill Snyder in his windbreaker, Bob Stoops pacing the sidelines, and even the antics of Steve Spurrier. I knew how successful all those coaches were at their respective levels, but they exuded this aura that was special. They looked like demigods on the gridiron, all meaning business week in and week out. It takes someone special to lead a football team, no matter the level.
There are 32 NFL teams, and chances are about a fifth of them will have a new head coach next season. The AFC West already has one such team after the Denver Broncos mercifully fired Nathaniel Hackett (Merry Christmas, Broncos fans). I say mercifully because Hackett’s performance was never inspiring and he was not a good leader. The team never trusted him, and thankfully those professional players will not suffer under inept leadership anymore in Denver.
There are already three coaching vacancies, with several more poised to open. The Chiefs have not produced a head coaching hire in several years, due to several factors. The staff has one perennial coaching candidate and two other coaches with outside chances. The frustrating part about head coaching hires is that you never really know until it’s too late. Very rarely do assistant coaches and coordinators have the chance to display their special qualities. Those chances reside with a team’s head coach, for better or for worse. For every Andy Reid, the Chiefs had Edwards, Romeo Crennel, and Todd Haley. They all had some qualities of a good NFL head coach, but you didn’t know for sure until after the losses piled up.
Any team hiring a head coach is a huge leap of faith. For an unknown amount of time, a team’s ownership is trusting one person with their on-field product. If NFL teams had to choose their next head coach from Kansa City’s staff, who are some candidates in 2023?