Andy Reid roundup: 4 takeaways from the Chiefs head coach

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid met with the media over a Zoom conference call on Monday, less than 24 hours after the team's 36-10 blowout win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

(Listen to Reid above or by clicking here. The press conference is also available on Spotify.)

In his opening statement, Reid again emphasized that Sunday's game was a "team" win, noting the Chiefs played well in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams.

We have rounded up Reid's other items of note in four takeaways:

Reid expects members of this coaching staff to be contacted regarding head coach positions this week.

The NFL changed its rules this year to allow head-coaching candidates to interview two weeks before the end of the season. That means that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders, which fired their coaches during this season, can contact the Chiefs beginning at 7 a.m. Arrowhead Time on Tuesday.

"I'm sure I'll hear from people on that— (offensive coordinator) Eric Bieniemy, Spags (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) has been a head coach and could easily jump in somewhere too. I've hammered the point about Eric Bieniemy. I just think the world of the guy, and he's tremendous."

Bieniemy has been the league's hottest name over the last three offseasons, but he has not received a position.

"I would imagine there are other guys on the staff, so whatever happens, happens there, but I'm always pulling for guys. If they have an opportunity to be promoted, more power to them."

Another potential candidate could include quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator Mike Kafka. Kafka received some interest from the Philadelphia Eagles back in 2020.

Reid sounded optimistic when it came to the Chiefs' key players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Chiefs missed several players against the Steelers stemming from Reserve/COVID-19 issues, including cornerback Rashad Fenton, offensive line Kyle Long, safety Armani Watts, kicker Harrison Butker and punter Tommy Townsend. Those players never officially left the list.

The Chiefs placed linebacker Nick Bolton, tight end Travis Kelce and offensive lineman Lucas Niang on the active roster with the hope that they would pass COVID protocols in time to play in the game. None of them did, but Reid is optimistic that those three, in particular, could be back to practice soon.

"I think we have a good shot at that," said Reid. "This thing is so unpredictable, that's the hard part about it, so we'll just see how it goes. If I had to guess, I think they'd probably be back, but let's just see how it goes this week."

Reid remains impressed with general manager Brett Veach and the personnel staff finding undrafted talent.

The Chiefs' three offensive stars of the game against the Steelers were running backs Darrel Williams and Derrick Gore, as well as wide receiver Byron Pringle.

What do the three have in common? They're all former undrafted free agents, which is a positive reflection on Veach and the team's personnel staff.

"I think they do a phenomenal job," said Reid. “One great thing about Brett is he's a good communicator and he talks to the coaches and finds out what they need and want and makes whatever scheme they're working with fit. I appreciate that. He's been on the coaching side, so he knows the challenges there and he's able to kind of work that in with the personnel side and challenges they have on the personnel side and blend it.

"He does a good job. He's got a good staff too, so those guys bust their tail to get everything right. His right-hand guys, assistant general manager [Mike] Borgonzi, they work hand and hand and attack. I mean you guys know, you guys have talked to Brett and you know how he rolls so he's always keeping his eyes open."

Speaking of staff movement, Borgonzi and executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles are names to watch for general manager openings this offseason.

Despite winning the AFC West, Reid and the Chiefs are full steam ahead as they prepare to take on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Even as AFC West champions for the sixth straight season, the Chiefs still have much to play for in this regular season. Wins in the final two games would grant the Chiefs the top seed and AFC bye week.

"We feel that we're not pulling off, we're going to keep going, and this is a very important game against a very good football team," said Reid, looking ahead to this weekend's matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. "We’ve got to make sure we're getting ourselves prepared for that. We don't have a cushion there like in years past of having a little bit of a cushion there, but that's not the way it sits this year."

A win against the Bengals paired with a Miami win over Tennessee may create a different scenario for Week 18. But for Week 17, it's all systems go.

"You want to go play and play well," added Reid. "That's what we've got to do. It's a good football team they were playing. We're not going to sit guys and all that. That's not where we're at. We're not in that position.”