Andy Reid’s place among the NFL’s elite play-callers is still secure, but the shine has dulled a bit heading into 2026.
The Kansas City Chiefs head coach, long viewed as one of the game’s sharpest offensive minds, landed at No. 6 in The Athletic’s ranking of the league’s top play-callers for the 2026 regular season. That’s still a top-10 spot, but it marks a slide from where Reid has been in recent years. He reached as high as No. 3 on the list and sat at No. 4 last season.
That drop comes after a rough 2025 for Kansas City. The Chiefs finished with a losing record, missed the playoffs and lost Patrick Mahomes to a season-ending knee injury in December. For a team that has leaned on Reid’s offense for years, the setback only sharpened the questions about where he stands now.
The Athletic’s assessment was blunt about why Reid slipped. “Some coaches still consider Reid one of the NFL’s best, and the sentiment is that Reid belongs on this list out of respect, but his system needs an upgrade.
The Chiefs finished 12th in offensive DVOA last season after finishing eighth two years in a row before that. The Chiefs’ offensive talent has deteriorated every season since trading Tyreek Hill, but they still have the league’s best quarterback in Patrick Mahomes,” The Athletic wrote.
“Mahomes and Reid’s early success led to the defensive meta of teams playing two-deep coverages to limit explosives in the passing game, but Reid hasn’t adjusted enough to take advantage of the light boxes they’re seeing.”
The skepticism isn’t limited to the rankings. One NFC defensive coordinator told The Athletic that Reid doesn’t carry the same fear factor he once did.
“A couple of years ago for sure, he was top five to me. In the past, like, year or two, I think it’s cooled down significantly, to be honest with you,” an NFC defensive coordinator said to The Athletic.
” … I just think that it got a little predictable because they had that carousel of personnel there too. He’s definitely on the fringe of it, out of respect, but I don’t necessarily have the same ‘I’m staying up all night’ feel with him.”
Even with that criticism, Reid remains in the upper tier of the league’s play-callers. And with Kansas City trying to bounce back in 2026, he’ll have a chance to answer those doubts the same way he always has - by making defenses pay on Sundays.
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