Leaked NFLPA report cards validate Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 offensive coaching changes in more ways than one
Leaked NFLPA report cards show that Kansas City Chiefs players graded their offensive coordinator and position coaches poorly in 2025.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coaching changes during the 2026 NFL offseason seem, in some ways, to have been inspired by player opinion.
The NFLPA is no longer allowed to release its annual player-voted report card grades, but that only means they’re now leaked to the media.
Here are the leaked grades for the Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler.
- Treatment of Families: C
- Home Game Field: A-
- Food/Dining Area: C+
- Nutritionist/Dietician: A-
- Locker Room: F
- Training Room: C-
- Training Staff: C
- Weight Room: B
- Strength Coaches: B+
- Position Coaches: C+
- Offensive Coordinator: C+
- Defensive Coordinator: A
- Special Teams Coordinator: B
- Team Travel: D-
- Head Coach: A
- General Manager: B+
- Team Ownership: C+
Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick reports that a total of 60 Chiefs players contributed to this poll. All players who were on a 2025 roster from Nov. 2 through Dec. 11 were eligible to participate in the survey, per ESPN.
The poll included some new categories in 2025, such as general manager, coordinators, position coaches, and home game field.
So, what exactly can we discern from this information? The most telling thing in my eyes is what it has to say about the coaching changes from 2025 to 2026.
Chiefs OC Matt Nagy and position coaches received poor grades from players
Of the new categories, the Chiefs’ players who participated in this survey viewed the offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy, poorly. He graded the worst of the team’s three coordinators, earning a C+ mark. The saying “Cs get degrees” didn’t seem to apply here, as the team didn’t seek to renew Nagy’s contract in 2026. There was an insistence from Andy Reid that this was planned and decided upon before the season began, but it certainly seems like there was more to this decision than timing. Of course, they opted to bring back Eric Bieniemy as the team’s offensive coordinator. We’ll see how that change tracks with the players next year.
Additionally, the Chiefs’ position coaches received a C+ grade. That should come as no shock, given that two position coaches on the offensive side of the ball were replaced this offseason. WRs coach Connor Embree and RBs coach Todd Pinkston were replaced by Chad O’Shea and DeMarco Murray. Embree and Pinkston probably brought the position coach grade down, but it should also put other position coaches in the club on high alert. On defense, they added a safeties coach after not having one in 2025 and promoted Matt House to outside linebackers coach.
Overall, it seems like a big part of the team’s problems in 2025 can be boiled down to coaching. These grades validated the need for change, whether it was a fit issue, experience, or just one too many responsibilities weighing the coaches down. The changes made shouldn’t just fix these grades, but hopefully some of the on-field results as well.
Quick thoughts on other poor grades for the Chiefs:
- Team Travel: Any international travel season (Brazil, Week 1) will probably hurt this grade for the team. I’ve also never met a player who enjoys road games, outside of the actual game itself or playing in different stadiums.
- Locker room: This seems to stem strictly from the locker rooms at the training facility, where the team spends most of its time. This should be rectified with the new facility the team is building in Kansas.
- Training Room/Staff: Similarly, I think some of the training room qualms will be fixed when the team has new facilities in Kansas. A larger training staff would also probably go a long way to solving that grade.
- Ownership: Clark Hunt keeps things mostly business and regimented. I’d wager this grade will improve as other grades improve.
Kansas City Chiefs News
2026 NFL Combine setting up Miami DE Rueben Bain Jr. to fall right into KC Chiefs’ lap if they’re willing to bet on an outlier
Are the Kansas City Chiefs willing to take a risk on a historical outlier like Rueben Bain Jr.’s arm length?
