Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid reacts to RB Kenneth Walker signing, QB Justin Fields trade, and more in recent interview
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid got a chance to react to the team’s offseason changes thus far at the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona.
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid is at the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, from March 29-31.
This is the first time Coach Reid has been in front of the media since the 2026 NFL free agency period began, giving him an opportunity to speak about several moves and decisions made by GM Brett Veach over the last several weeks. It’ll likely be one of the last times he speaks to media members leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft.
Reid sat down with NFL Media’s Senior National Columnist, Judy Battista, on Saturday to discuss everything from Patrick Mahomes’ injury recovery to Trent McDuffie’s trade to Los Angeles. Here’s a quick rundown of what they touched on.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid on what RB Kenneth Walker III’s signing brings to Kansas City
Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III was the Chiefs’ big splash during 2026 NFL free agency. Despite different schemes and a pass-heavy offensive system, Coach Reid expects that Walker won’t miss a beat and will be a big part of what the team accomplishes in 2026 on offense.
“He’s a good football player, and it won’t change. He’s not gonna change coming to us,” Reid said. “He’s still going to be a good football player. As long as he stays healthy and moves forward, good things can happen for you. We know that the run game is important, and we’ve got good offensive linemen in front of him, so that will be a plus for him. It should be a plus for our football team.”
Kansas City lacked an explosive element to its running game in 2025, but with the additions of Walker and Emari Demercado, that could all change in 2026.
Andy Reid says new backup QB Justin Fields can win the Chiefs games if necessary
Reid was hesitant to put a timeline on Patrick Mahomes’ recovery, despite the recent video the quarterback shared of himself throwing post-injury. He says he’s doing great, but this led to a conversation about the Chiefs’ trade for Justin Fields. Mahomes’ goal is to be ready for Week 1, but what happens if he’s unable to reach that goal?
“Well, we snuck out and got a good quarterback to back him up,” Reid told Battista. “So, if he doesn’t, you know, if he’s not able to make it for the beginning of the season, then we know we’ve got a legitimate backup there that can go win games for us.”
Fields has a 16-37 career record as a starter, so it’ll likely take some of Reid’s quarterback magic for that last statement to become a reality.
How will the Chiefs replenish the secondary after the Trent McDuffie trade?
The Chiefs will have a new-look secondary for the first time in many seasons after trading away star CB Trent McDuffie and letting Jaylen Watson, Josh Williams, and Bryan Cook walk in free agency. Andy Reid doesn’t appear to be losing any sleep over the turnover in the defensive secondary. Like TE Travis Kelce, he’s got his eyes on second-year CB Nohl Williams as a player who will step up. He also knows there’s plenty of work to do to replenish that unit moving forward.
“I’ve been in positions as a head coach where we’ve replenished the secondary,” Reid said. “At Green Bay, we replenished in the secondary. I’ve been through that and seen it be productive. Do you want to lose a (Trent) McDuffie? No, but that’s today’s football. That’s how this thing works today. So, you’ve got to stay flexible, and then you’ve got to put yourself in a position where you can replenish that. We drafted a good kid last year (Nohl Williams), so I know we’ll continue to work through that this year. I’m really not worried about it. I look forward to seeing who these people are that come in.”
The 2026 NFL Draft is rife with talent in the defensive secondary at both the cornerback and the safety position. Ultimately, it’ll come down to just how much draft capital the team is looking to invest in the defensive back room. Will it be another year like 2022 with investments at cornerback in multiple rounds? We’ll find out soon enough.
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