Chiefs make first outside addition to Andy Reid’s 2026 coaching staff with decorated coach who got his NFL start in Kansas City
The Kansas City Chiefs officially have a new wide receivers coach.
The Kansas City Chiefs have made their first outside hire for Andy Reid’s 2026 coaching staff, bringing a decorated coach back to where it all began.
The Chiefs officially have a new wide receivers coach, and they’re not promoting from within. As first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Chiefs are hiring former Cleveland Browns WR coach and passing game coordinator Chad O’Shea as their wide receiver coach. O’Shea was a longtime member of Kevin Stefanski’s staff in Cleveland, joining the Browns back in 2020. He got his NFL start in Kansas City, joining Dick Vermeil’s staff in 2003 as a volunteer assistant special teams coach. He was promoted in 2004-2005 to serve as the team’s linebackers coach as well.
From there, O’Shea jumped to the offensive side of the ball. He became an offensive assistant and worked with the wide receivers for the Minnesota Vikings from 2006 through 2008. He was the wide receivers coach for the New England Patriots under Bill Belichick from 2009 through 2018, earning three Super Bowl rings (XLIX, LI, LIII) in the process. In 2019, he became the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins before joining Stefanski’s staff in 2020.
Unlike his predecessor, Connor Embree, O’Shea has a really strong history as a wide receiver coach to hang his hat on. During his time with New England, he coached Wes Welker (3x), Julian Edelman (3x), Randy Moss, and Brandin Cooks to 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Edelman even won Super Bowl LIII MVP honors under his tutelage. In three consecutive seasons from 2022 through 2024 with the Browns, despite inconsistent quarterback play, O’Shea has produced three 1,000-yard receivers (Amari Cooper x2 and Jerry Jeudy).
What can Chiefs fans expect from new wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea?
To learn more about O’Shea, we asked Brandon Little of A to Z Sports Cleveland about what he brings to the table for Kansas City after spending the past six seasons with the Browns.
“O’Shea was a key part of the Kevin Stefanski staff in Cleveland and stuck around for all six years the head coach was in place. With Stefanski now gone from Cleveland, O’Shea instantly became a proven wide receivers coach. O’Shea got great success early on in his tenure from guys like Donovan Peoples-Jones and Rashard Higgins — two guys who outperformed their draft slot. The biggest red mark on O’Shea’s time in Cleveland was the inability to ever get Odell Beckham Jr. going after the Browns made that big trade.
The last couple of years have been very underwhelming for the Browns at wide receiver, and a fresh start for both sides isn’t a bad thing. Quarterback play was a large part of that — but a lack of development in draft picks at wide receiver shows on the Browns roster. Jerry Jeudy had the best season of his career in 2024 with 1,229 receiving yards. Cleveland was led by Jeudy in 2025 at the wide receiver position with just 609 yards. Undrafted rookie Isaiah Bond was the next closest with 338 yards in Cleveland. It’s been a mixed bag of work over six years for O’Shea in Cleveland following a strong run with the Patriots.”
Overall, it feels like the Chiefs can get a little more of what they need out of O’Shea than perhaps the Browns could. Obviously, having an All-World quarterback in Patrick Mahomes helps, but O’Shea should be able to develop players like Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Jalen Royals where Embree failed to do so based on his resume alone.
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