Brett Veach and Andy Reid are among the most accomplished figures at their respective positions in NFL history. Reid, who is entering his fourteenth season on the Chiefs' sideline, ranks fourteenth all-time in wins, second (only behind Bill Belichick) in playoff victories, and is just one of five head coaches with three or more Super Bowl victories. Veach has overseen a 123-48 record since taking over as the team's general manager in 2017. He is the only active GM with three or more Super Bowl titles and successfully built two iterations of the Chiefs' roster during their dynasty.
One may ask, "How can Veach and Reid be under any pressure? Look at their resumes." Now, I am not saying the two of them could be fired if this season goes awry. That would be an overreaction. However, this duo is under more pressure entering a season than in any other campaign in their paired tenure. The Chiefs' disastrous 2025 season raised many questions about Veach's roster construction tendencies and Reid's offensive scheme. The NFL is a "what have you done for me lately" business. Even if you achieve immense success, as Veach and Reid have, one poor season can result in the fanbase having more questions than answers.
Brett Veach has developed a troubling roster-building habit
A concerning trend that Veach has displayed over the past three seasons is blatantly ignoring obvious weaknesses on the roster, which has reared its head in every ensuing season. Last year, it was clear that the Chiefs were severely lacking explosiveness at running back. The primary ball carriers at this time a year ago were Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco. Hunt was clearly past his prime and only effective in short-yardage situations, while Pacheco had not been the same since the fractured fibula he suffered early in the 2024 season. The result? The Chiefs had one of the league's worst rushing attacks last season, ranking a crisp 25th in total team rushing yards and dead last in runs of 20+ yards.
Heading into the 2024 season, the Chiefs had a glaring hole at the left tackle position. They hoped that second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia would fill that void from the get-go. While the BYU product showed himself to be a capable starter at guard last season, the left tackle experiment was a disaster that lasted a whopping two games. The Chiefs tried inserting the likes of Wanya Morris and DJ Humphries into the lineup and eventually landed on Joe Thuney—a career guard—to protect Patrick Mahomes' blindside in their stretch run. The result? Mahomes was sacked a career-high 36 times in 2024 while losing 239 yards, also a career high.
Going into 2023, the Chiefs had major question marks at wide receiver. JuJu Smith-Schuster, their leading wideout in 2022, left in free agency, and they were relying on the likes of Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling while selecting Rashee Rice in the second round. While Valdes-Scantling had been a serviceable role receiver throughout his career, he had never eclipsed 700 yards in a season. Toney had shown some flashes after his midseason trade the year prior but had struggled with injuries over his first two seasons, and Moore had just 22 catches for 250 yards as a rookie. The result? While Rice proved to be a legitimate asset, the Chiefs' receiving corps struggled mightily in 2023, dropping countless passes, running erroneous routes, and failing to simply line up properly. Moore and Toney, who were counted on to be heavy contributors, weren't trusted to be in the lineup by season's end. Somehow, the Chiefs managed to win that season's Super Bowl in spite of their receivers (and with a major assist from their defense), but every Chiefs fan can remember how frustrating most of 2023 was.
The Chiefs' WR gamble puts Veach back in the spotlight
As it stands today, the Chiefs find themselves in an eerily similar position to three years ago with the receiving room. While players like Rice and Xavier Worthy have flashed on numerous occasions, the risks create a full-grown elephant in the room. Due to injury and suspension, Rice has appeared in just 12 games over the past two seasons. While he has been productive while in the lineup, relying on the fourth-year wideout to stay healthy and avoid issues off the field is a significant ask. Throughout his tenure in Kansas City, Rice has made numerous problematic headlines for actions away from the gridiron, which culminated in him serving a 30-day prison sentence due to his role in the multi-vehicle crash in 2024. While Worthy has largely avoided off-field issues, he has struggled with health and consistency. After a promising end to his rookie season, Worthy struggled through an injury-riddled sophomore campaign. He injured his shoulder on the first route of the year, which caused him to miss the ensuing two games. While he was available for the remainder of the season, he struggled to make the same impact he did in 2024. Throughout the early going in camp, Worthy has already missed time due to a nagging shoulder injury for which he received surgery over the offseason.
If training camp performance is any indicator, the Chiefs may have struck gold in the 5th round with Cyrus Allen. The Cincinnati product has developed a rapport with Mahomes and has consistently worked with the first-team offense. The Chiefs avoided a major scare last Saturday when Allen went down with what looked to be a significant lower-body injury. Fortunately, it was just a shin bruise, but the fact that a fifth-round rookie represents this level of significance in August is telling. Perhaps even more telling is the number of proven veterans who were on the market throughout the offseason and have signed elsewhere, namely Deebo Samuel with the 49ers and Stefon Diggs with the Commanders.
Veach has had a consistent track record of not properly addressing obvious weaknesses in the offseason, only for that to unsurprisingly prove detrimental during the season. The Chiefs were able to overcome this in 2023 and 2024, still managing to reach the Super Bowl in both years while winning it all in the former. In the NFL, winning cures all. However, a 6-11 disaster of a season presents some fair questions for the roster's architect.
Andy Reid has his own questions to answer
So, what does any of this have to do with Andy Reid? After all, Veach is responsible for constructing the roster. It's not Reid's fault that he has been dealt a poor hand at receiver, running back, and left tackle in each of the last three seasons. These weaknesses can at least provide some excuse for Reid's offense finishing 15th, 15th, and 21st in this timeframe. However, Reid is not blameless, as his recent scheme, personnel decisions, and lack of accountability have left some fans scratching their heads.
When one watches the Rams' offense with Sean McVay or the 49ers' offense with Kyle Shanahan, they see innovative play-calling that results in receivers getting put into favorable matchups and schemed open, making life easier for the quarterbacks. For a long period, Reid was the standard of offensive creativity and is rightfully considered one of the greatest offensive minds in league history. When Reid's offensive genius was combined with Mahomes' talent, the results were no surprise, as the Chiefs averaged 30.1 points per game from 2018 through 2022. In that period, they never ranked worse than sixth in scoring average. With that said, Reid has presented fewer "easy buttons" for Mahomes throughout the past three years, forcing him to play the position on "hard mode." This has resulted in a precipitous decline in offensive explosiveness and efficiency since 2023.
Last season, a consistent faux pas that Reid committed was valuing experience over production, which often resulted in more talented players being relegated to the sideline. A clear example of this was opting to play an aging JuJu Smith-Schuster over Tyquan Thornton throughout most of the year. Over the first three games, Thornton was Mahomes' go-to receiver with Worthy injured and Rice serving his suspension. In this stretch, the 2022 second-rounder caught 9 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns, capped off by a five-catch, 71-yard performance against the Giants in primetime. However, once Worthy and Rice returned to action, Reid essentially disregarded Thornton, as he never exceeded 30% of the offensive snaps for the remainder of the season until the Chiefs were out of contention. If Cyrus Allen is as talented as he appears thus far, Reid cannot use the experience of previously rostered players as justification to keep him on the sidelines.
Lastly, a repeated issue under Reid's watch has been players not being held accountable for egregious mistakes. This was apparent during the three-year Jawaan Taylor experiment, as the former right tackle was nothing short of a penalty machine as a Chief. In just three seasons, Taylor committed an astounding fifty-four penalties. This past season, Taylor was called for seven infractions in the team's first three games, yet remained in the lineup despite Jaylon Moore, who was signed to a two-year, $30 million deal, being behind him. The return of Eric Bieniemy should certainly help in this regard, as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator is known for holding players accountable when warranted. With that said, Reid is the head coach, and his assistants should not be relied upon to ensure that players are doing their jobs correctly.
No general manager or head coach is perfect. Despite the aforementioned missteps, Veach and Reid have long been among the standard-bearers of their professions. However, when you have a prime Patrick Mahomes on the roster, no season should go to waste like 2025 did. With a player of Mahomes' caliber under center, the expectation is to meaningfully compete for a Super Bowl every season. Falling short of Super Bowl Sunday with Mahomes on the roster is a disappointment, but missing the playoffs is completely unacceptable. If the Chiefs return to form and find themselves at SoFi Stadium on February 14th, last season can be safely written off as a fluke. In the event that Veach and Reid fall short of expectations for the second straight year with the league's best quarterback, some difficult conversations may need to take place at 1 Arrowhead Drive.
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