Vahe Gregorian: Chiefs' offseason suggests offensive changes, but how much will Andy Reid tweak?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From just about the minute the plummet-back-to-earth 2025 season ended for the Chiefs, coach Andy Reid has seemed almost eerily upbeat and energized.

Certainly, that was his abiding demeanor in a pre-NFL scouting combine meeting with the media over Zoom. And it was what he projected in a pre-NFL draft session that came shortly after his 68th birthday in March.

So much so that what Reid radiated was reminiscent of his favorite time of year: the crucible of training camps that forge his teams.

When I asked him before the draft if I was right that he was more excited than usual — especially given the circumstances — Reid smiled and put it this way.

“Listen, when I’m not excited, I’m getting out, right?” he said. “I’m not going to do it anymore.”

The job, he added, remains an honor and a privilege. And even as he was anticipating the fresh start that the draft would deliver, he already was all the more energized by new additions in the building.

That no doubt included but hardly was limited to the return of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and the signing of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III — a running back the likes of whom the Chiefs haven’t had since Kareem Hunt’s first two seasons.

Each of those moves seemed like harbingers of what needs to come next: a revitalized offensive scheme.

Now that Reid’s got his surprisingly defense-dominated draft class among the 108 rookies the Chiefs are working out this weekend, clear and present becomes that next pivotal phase of rebooting a franchise that had appeared in five of the previous six Super Bowls before falling to 6-11 last season.

The infusion on defense means the Chiefs are seeking both to fortify their defensive line and reload a defensive backfield that essentially for financial reasons surrendered three starters, most notably All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie.

Per comments general manager Brett Veach made last week, it’s clear that the Chiefs know they need to emulate traits that enabled the Eagles to clobber the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX and the Seahawks to blast the Patriots in Super Bowl LX: That begins with getting thicker on the line, quicker in the backfield and ramping up the pass rush more effectively without blitzing.

Just how defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will concoct and deploy that approach, of course, will be a work in progress.

But Spagnuolo seldom, if ever, is hesitant to make exotic moves or dramatic changes. And the emphasis on defense is a reminder that the Chiefs’ last two Super Bowl berths were spurred by that side of the ball being top-five in points allowed.

Then there’s Reid, who is understood to be an offensive genius and has become the fourth-winningest coach in NFL history in large part because of his ability to adapt … But whose offense increasingly has felt somewhere between stale and predictable.

Certainly, it has diminished over the last few years despite the presence of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

By the simplest measure possible, the Chiefs have finished 15th, 15th and 21st in scoring the last three seasons after being in the NFL’s top six the previous six seasons — including Alex Smith’s last — and twice leading the league in scoring (2018 and 2022).

At least in part in the recent downturn, it’s because Mahomes has been overexposed.

Not in the sense that his talent remains anything less than stunning.

But in terms of being increasingly vulnerable to injury and prone to overextending himself while being called on, or at least finding himself called to, do it all.

All because of, at varying times, injuries and inconsistency in the receiving corps and among linemen. And the years-long absence of a legitimate running threat, which led to Mahomes leading the team in rushing for the first few games of last season.

Which brings us to the heart of the matter:

An offseason groundswell of change and the fact the Chiefs have yet to make a substantial move to acquire more help at receiver (Cyrus Allen was the 25th one taken in the draft) suggests Reid is recalibrating aspects of the offense to take advantage of Walker and provide more support and cushion for Mahomes — who continues to rehabilitate from season-ending knee surgery, with no certain timetable for his return.

Just how much the Chiefs modify will be one of the most fundamental questions for the 2026 season. And even the immediate future of a franchise that believes it has a second dynastic chapter in its grasp.

If that’s going to be real and not fade away remains to be seen.

Especially since as much as Reid seems juiced by the challenge of the moment, he isn’t apt to reveal any impending dramatic changes now, anyway.

When I asked him Saturday what sort of offensive tweaks could be coming, Reid said about what he usually does in the offseason:

“For the most part, it will be the same,” he said. “The plays are the same. It’s just what areas you draw from.”

As ever, he added, the game plans could feature elements of the drop-back game, three-step game, play-action, screens, etc.

When I asked him if he expected a change in emphasis within that, he smiled and said, “We’ve got one ball. If you’ve got talent, we’re going to try to get it to you and move it around. The base premise is to make sure you keep the defense on their toes and to score touchdowns.”

Sooooo … could be that the Chiefs really won’t do much differently.

More likely, though, Reid is just being his typical coy self about revealing the sort of basic information he considers on the level of state secrets.

Because he’s as invested as ever, if not more so. And he understands that the status quo has reverted from years of greatness to facing up to a humbling turn.

Changing that hinges on the Chiefs not just running the diagnostics and replenishing their talent but being willing and able to execute change.

Now, the last time Reid faced such a crossroads was after the 2017 season, when he fired defensive coordinator Bob Sutton and replaced him with Spagnuolo.

The bold shift worked out better than anyone could have thought.

Here’s betting that Reid will treat solving this with the same sort of urgency — and with the imagination and ongoing love of the challenge of coaching that’s gotten him here.