Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s latest hires infuse 2026 coaching staff with college football’s rising stars
The Kansas City Chiefs just swooped some talent from college football’s coaching ranks.
The 2026 coaching staff is beginning to come together under Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid.
We still await word on the team’s running backs coach and confirmation that Chad O’Shea has been hired as the wide receivers coach for the 2026 NFL season, but we know Eric Bieniemy will be with the team after his reintroduction press conference on Wednesday.
With other smaller departures from assistants and quality control coaches such as Alex Whittingham, Louie Addazzio, Kevin Saxton, and Mark DeLeone, the Chiefs needed an infusion of talent at the bottom of their coaching roster. Coach Reid has found his source for that infusion of talent in the college football world, snatching up two rising coaches to reinforce his staff.
Chiefs to hire C.J. Cox as defensive quality control coach
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Chiefs are expected to hire veteran defensive backs coach C.J. Cox as a defensive quality control coach. Cox will work alongside Dave Merritt with the defensive backs.
Cox was the safeties coach at Coastal Carolina in 2025 and held the exact same role at UAB the previous season. In 2023, he was named a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 35 Under 35. This came after a season in which he served as the cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator at Kent State, helping the team improve its pass defense to the top 50 nationally.
This technically won’t be his first stop in the NFL. In 2022 and 2023, Cox was with the Chiefs through the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. In 2024, Cox coached with the Los Angeles Rams through the same coaching fellowship.
Chiefs to hire Nate Pagan as offensive quality control coach
The Chiefs are reinforcing their offensive coaching staff with some talent as well. According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, the Chiefs are hiring Nate Pagan as a quality control coach. Pagan has an extensive history coaching wide receivers, beginning his coaching career as a wide receiver coach at SUNY Cortland during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. From there, he joined Stevenson for the 2015-2016 seasons as the wide receivers coach and served as special teams coordinator in 2016, producing three All-Conference special teamers.
Pagan has spent the last seven seasons as Villanova’s wide receiver coach. In six of those seven seasons, he produced an All-Conference wide receiver. He even produced a familiar face for the Chiefs in WR Jaaron Hayek, who made the 90-man roster as a tryout player in 2024.
During the team’s 2025 training camp, Pagan coached with the Chiefs as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Needless to say, you can expect him to work alongside new Chiefs wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea. Perhaps, he’ll have a role working with special teamers as well.
Kansas City Chiefs News
Kansas City Chiefs C Creed Humphrey can be recognized for his 2025 NFL season in a way that no other player has been before
Kansas City Chiefs C Creed Humphrey can be the NFL’s first annual Protector of the Year.
