The Kansas City Chiefs made a significant change to their offensive coaching staff during the offseason when Eric Bieniemy departed to take a head coaching gig with the Washington commanders. Matt Nagy was tapped to fill the offensive coordinator spot in Bieniemy’s absence, a role that he had previously held in Kansas City for two seasons in 2016 and 2017.
After a stint as the Chicago Bears head coach, Nagy returned to the Chiefs last season, serving as their quarterbacks coach. He met with the media on Thursday after practice to share his thoughts on quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ growing maturity, which Nagy has had a key role in developing during the course of his career in Kansas City.
“Well, I’d say this, there was a lot that we worked on with him as a rookie,” Nagy explained. “I mean, I can go back [to] then. You guys have heard me say it is his footwork and stance under center to the verbal cadence of just calling a play; there was so much no-huddle. Those are the easier parts of the game. But just listening to him, to him understand and talk through a play on video.
“Being in practice, he would always stay back, and when Alex (Smith) was running a play, he’d always be back there doing the footwork for the play, whether it’s a handoff, drop back, etc. And you can just tell, and then, of course, that game against Denver (Broncos) you saw and put it into action, but he’s wired the right way. He has rare DNA, and it’s all coming out right now.”
Mahomes’ 2022 season was among the NFL’s best ever, and the success he found was made possible with a ragtag group of various receivers who were new to Andy Reid’s complex offensive system. Nagy will look to help Mahomes replicate his accomplishments in 2023 as the MVP quarterback and the Chiefs’ offensive personnel seek to bring Kansas City another Super Bowl title at the season’s end.
