Matt Nagy on How He’ll Leave His Mark on the Chiefs’ Offense

When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes, they knew he'd be learning from then-offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and veteran Alex Smith as he sat on the bench for nearly the entire 2017 season. Once Nagy departed to the Chicago Bears and Eric Bieniemy took his role in Kansas City, the Chiefs shifted to Mahomes as their starter and experienced the highest of offensive highs in the entire NFL. Years later, Nagy is serving in a familiar capacity during 2023 team training camp: offensive coordinator.

'If it ain't broke, don't fix it' is one of the most timeless go-to phrases used in sports. It certainly applies to Kansas City, as head coach Andy Reid and his staff have routinely schemed up one of the league's best aerial attacks year after year. Last season was no different, and the Chiefs led all teams in points per game while Mahomes amassed more total yards than anyone in the history of the sport. There isn't a lot that Nagy can do to fix things necessarily in his enhanced spot, although there's always room for improvement.

Speaking for the first time of the Chiefs' full-team training camp on Wednesday, Nagy praised many offensive players who are standing out while also discussing his role and what his spring and summer have looked like. When asked about tweaks made — either recently or ones that could be coming soon — the 45-year-old pitched more of a collaborative effort. 

"There's a few things but honestly, that's every year regardless of who the coordinator is," Nagy said. "I think again, I go back to Coach Reid where this all starts. In the end, his mind every season is always going to new things. We want to be able to do the stuff that works, but the creativity of Coach with that beautiful mind board in his office is what's so cool for these players and coaches. Myself, there might be some things here or there that I have an idea with or another coach that was on staff last year, he didn't have the idea last year and it comes in this year and we tweak it and change things."

That aforementioned collaboration doesn't happen with only the coaching staff. Players also factor into plotting for games and ironing out the playbook throughout the year, with Mahomes and even tight end Travis Kelce getting some input. Nagy said that maintaining a fun environment is something the team consistently desires, and he also alluded to his own say bearing some weight with the duo of Reid and Mahomes.  

"I have a little [say]," Nagy said. "But it goes to two people: Coach Reid and Patrick. Kelce's got a little sprinkle too when he wants to — if Coach decides he wants to listen to him. We have a good time. I mean, a lot of this stuff, there's so many plays in this playbook and we'd like to be able to keep the fun in practice with the players and keep the fun in the games as long as they know if you have somebody doing something they're not necessarily always used to doing, do it the right way. I think that's the beauty of Coach Reid and this offense."

Kansas City's offense is perhaps the most creative in the NFL, as it implements many different personnel packages and options both pre- and post-snap to keep defenses guessing. After losing superstar wideout Tyreek Hill via trade an offseason ago, Reid and Mahomes got to work with Bieniemy and ended up being just fine while also opting for more sets with multiple tight ends. The core principles of Reid's offense remained in place, though, and the Chiefs ranked third in the league in overall pass rate as a team. Something similar is expected this year. 

Don't get it twisted: not a whole lot is slated to change. Mahomes will still be Mahomes, Kelce will still be Kelce and the offense will be one of the most pass-happy ones in all of football with the staples of a Reid system showing up all year long. On the other hand, switching to someone new as offensive coordinator prevents things from growing stale and Nagy is hungry to rebuild his reputation. There hasn't been anyone more beneficial for that process than Reid since he got to Kansas City, and having a somewhat fresh voice in his ear should help sustain the league's most efficient machine.