Kansas City Chiefs bring back Super Bowl-winning coach who helped star DT Chris Jones from afar this season
The Chiefs are bringing back Terry Bradden Jr. and it could prove to be big news for DT Chris Jones.
The Kansas City Chiefs are reuniting with another coach, this time on the defensive side of the ball.
According to CBS Sports NFL and college football reporter Matt Zenitz, the Chiefs are set to bring back assistant D-Line coach Terry Bradden Jr., who left the organization ahead of the 2025 NFL season to become the defensive line coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Before that, Bradden Jr. began his NFL coaching career in Kansas City as a defensive assistant in 2017. Fast-forward to 2018, when he filled a defensive quality-control position. He was promoted to assistant defensive line coach in 2021 and served in that role for his final four seasons with the team, through 2024. He was with the Chiefs for all five of their recent Super Bowl appearances (LIV, LV, LVII, LVIII, and LIX) and has three rings from his tenure in Kansas City.
Bradden Jr. will now fill the assistant defensive line role vacated by Alex Whittingham, who left to join the Michigan Wolverines after spending one season in the role. This return for Bradden Jr. could mean big things as it relates to a bounce-back season for Chiefs DT Chris Jones, who found himself relying on his old coach from afar during what was ultimately a challenging year for the veteran.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones sought guidance from Terry Bradden Jr. during the 2025 NFL season
Right around the Chiefs’ bye week, Chris Jones was asked about the self-evaluation process and whether he watches film on his own or seeks guidance from others. That’s when he revealed he’d been relying on two former coaches for any advice or guidance that could give him an advantage in the stretch run.
“Well, it’s a little bit of both,” Jones said. “Because you watch film, you watch the games that you — for me, it’s about games I didn’t play as well to my standards that I wanted to. And I have a few mentors I call, like Britt Reid. Me and him are still very close. I call Terry Braden, you know, guys that I’m very close with within the football circle. I call, get their opinion, you know, because it’s all about being limitless, and the beautiful thing about it is eight more weeks, eight more weeks, then playoffs. So, it’s a good thing. It’s a good way to recalibrate, recircle yourself, understand it’s not all good, but it’s not all bad either.”
During Bradden Jr.’s four years as assistant defensive line coach in Kansas City, Jones had the most productive four-year stretch of his NFL career with 351 total pressures and 40 sacks. That’s unlikely to be a coincidence, given the level of trust that persisted even after Bradden Jr. left in 2025.
Chris Jones’ sacks with Terry Bradden Jr. on staff as Chiefs’ assistant defensive line coach
- 2021: 9.0
- 2022: 15.5
- 2023: 10.5
- 2024: 5.0
At the very least, Bradden Jr.’s presence should help elevate a defensive line room that could see a few changes on the personnel side in free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft.
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