Chiefs HC Andy Reid Addresses New-Look Offense, Mahomes, Niang

After making it to four straight AFC Championship Games and even getting a Super Bowl ring during the first act of the Patrick Mahomes era, things will look a bit different for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City is attempting to open a new window as one closes, and with that comes quite a bit of shuffling. Superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill is no longer with the team and after his swap with the Miami Dolphins for draft picks, the Chiefs have brought in Marquez Valdes-Scantling to join JuJu Smith-Schuster. With the aforementioned pair joining Mecole Hardman, a new-look offense is expected to emerge.

With that said, head coach Andy Reid isn't necessarily planning on that. The longtime Chiefs leader addressed the media on Monday morning and spoke on a variety of topics with the 2022 NFL Draft being just over a week away. Reid imagined what this year's Chiefs offense could look like, as well as what he's looking for from Patrick Mahomes and how offensive tackle Lucas Niang is progressing in his injury rehab.

Don't expect the Chiefs' offense to change a ton

“I don’t think it will be significantly different," Reid said. "It will be similar to what we did in games that Tyreek couldn’t play in. There were certain things that he did very well that we’ll have people try to fill in those spots without forcing anything. What we normally do on this is we try to play to the players’ strengths the best we can, so we’ll see with some of the new guys, see what they can do. And then we’ll work around that.”

Despite going for bigger receivers this offseason, the Chiefs are still valuing speed and timing. The trio of Smith-Schuster, Valdes-Scantling and Hardman consists of three players who bring different strengths and weaknesses to the table, allowing Reid to gameplan around them with fluidity. There's also the possibility that Kansas City adds another receiver or even two in the upcoming draft, which would add even more dynamism into the fold. One thing is apparent, though: don't expect major change.

Let Patrick Mahomes be Patrick Mahomes

“It’s hard to tell you something like that because he’s been so successful doing it the way it’s worked out and we’ve kind of built some things in there with that to his strengths," Reid said of working with Mahomes on his pocket presence. "You end up having an offense that was one of the top offenses in the league. You start looking at third down, we’re the top third down team. You start looking at red zone, all the critical situations and he’s done really well in those areas.

"You don’t want to change too much. He’s always going to work on his timing with the routes and the receivers. He’s doing that now and all the fundamentals that go with it. That’s what you appreciate about him. He’s trying to get better at those things but moving around in the pocket and things like that, he’s been very successful at that and puts a lot of pressure on defenses.”

The same sentiment is echoed with Mahomes as it is for the entire offense. Things may change some but too much is not on the horizon. The 26-year-old quarterback is arguably the best in the sport, but his pocket presence and drop depth have been issues over the past couple of years. Part of the draw with Mahomes is his ability to extend plays out of the pocket, so the Chiefs don't want to strip that from him. Learning to play a more efficient brand of football in terms of movement could be his next evolution as a player, however.

Checking in on Lucas Niang's progress

“Lucas has done a nice job rehabbing," Reid said. "Rick (Burkholder) has stayed on top of that part. We’ll just see. I don’t want to put a date on it. We’ll just see how it goes once we get back in these next two phases after Phase I. We’ll see where his progress is as we go forward there."

Niang, who has struggled to stay healthy throughout college and into the NFL, is recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his knee. He suffered the injury in January and because of its nature, his status for training camp and the start of the regular season have been in question. The 2020 third-round pick is viewed by many as Kansas City's right tackle of the future, but much uncertainty surrounding that position remains. If Niang continues to make progress, he'll likely be given the chance to hold down the spot yet again in 2022.