One of the biggest question marks remaining when it comes to remaking Andy Reid's coaching staff is figuring out exactly who will serve as the team's running backs coach going forward. The Chiefs have already undergone extensive renovations for the coming year after winning only six games this season and sitting during the month of January. Now, a primary candidate appears to be coming into view.
Per ESPN reporter Adam Schefter, Kansas City has requested permission to talk to the Las Vegas Raiders about running backs coach Deland McCullough, a familiar face to Chiefs fans after seeing him on the sidelines in the same capacity from 2018 to 2020.
The Chiefs already replaced their offensive coordinator this offseason with the decision to hire Eric Bieniemy after Matt Nagy stated he was ready to explore new opportunities. The hiring of Bieniemy started the reunion party, and the potential of bringing back McCullough maintains the vibe.
The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping a familiar face will be up for a reunion to take over coaching the team's running backs.
McCullough left the Chiefs in 2020 to join the college ranks with the Indiana Hoosiers to serve as associate head coach. From there, he took a trip north to South Bend to join Notre Dame's coaching staff for the next three seasons before making the leap back to the professional level with Pete Carroll and the Raiders in 2025.
The Chiefs fired two prominent offensive positional coaches earlier this month: running backs coach Todd PInkston and wide receivers coach Connor Embree. The Chiefs were quick to hire Chad O'Shea, who was serving as WR coach for the Cleveland Browns, to replace Embree. O'Shea is most known for his decade of coaching alongside Bill Belichick during the New England Patriots' dynasty years.
McCulllough's familiarity with the Chiefs and Bieniemy makes him an obvious option to return and would bring some credibility to the staff after watching out-of-place coaches in the same roles in recent seasons. For example, Pinkston was a former receiver coaching the backfield, while Embree's resume was light on any real qualifications.
The Chiefs also announced the addition of two younger quality control coaches on Thursday. The team hired Villanova wide receivers coach Nate Pagan on the offensive side and C.J. Cox, a defensive backs coach from Coastal Carolina, on defense.