5 Questions for Breakfast With Andy Reid

Mahomes is rehabilitating from Dec. 15 surgery to repair both the ACL and LCL in his left knee. It’s the most significant injury of his career to date, something that muddies how quickly he can return to form.

What’s more, Kansas City just signed the top running back on the free-agent market, Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker. And Walker is more of a knight than a bishop. In other words, he doesn’t fit well into the RPO-shotgun strategy the Chiefs have employed in recent seasons. Walker takes longer to hit the hole than previous Chiefs backs, and he thrives from under-center formations, something the Chiefs rarely employ.

Putting opponents in check became a lot more difficult last season because, as Mahomes said, defenses figured out how to diffuse what the Chiefs had done so well for so long.

And as more than 500 representatives from all 32 clubs and the NFL office begin to arrive Saturday in Phoenix for the annual league meeting, how the Chiefs will change their offense is only one of several questions awaiting.

Andy Reid, the one moving the big pieces on that board, will hold court with AFC coaches at the annual media breakfast on Tuesday morning. Here are four more questions awaiting the dean of NFL head coaches.

Is Mahomes on target for a Week 1 return?

Micah Parsons tore his ACL only hours after Mahomes on Dec. 14. Reports this week said the Packers’ edge rusher is now shooting to return in Week 3 or Week 4. Meanwhile, exactly 100 days after his Dec. 15 surgery, Mahomes on Wednesday released footage of his first throwing session this offseason.

What are his first impressions of Kansas City’s newest players?

In addition to Walker, the Chiefs inked safety Alohi Gilman, running back Emari Demercado and nose tackle Khyiris Tonga. Then, Brett Veach acquired quarterback Justin Fields in a trade with the Jets. Reid said before free agency that the team was searching players with the right attitudes and fit, ones that uphold the obvious expectation for a team that’s reached five of the last seven Super Bowls – and won three of them.

How will the Chiefs use Fields and Tonga on offense?

Kansas City is annually one of the league’s only teams that doesn’t use the quarterback sneak. The Chiefs haven’t used it since Mahomes dislocated his kneecap in 2019. But Fields could be a game-changer, and how comfortable Reid with the optics of Mahomes jogging off the field in packages designed for Fields is an interesting question. Another interesting inquiry is whether Tonga allows Reid and Bieniemy to script more fullback, power-I formations into their offense.

How can Travis Kelce not lead the team in receiving?

Every year since the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, four consecutive seasons, Kelce has led the team in receiving. That’s something that simply can’t happen again in 2026. But the only moves the Chiefs made to address the wide-receiver position were re-signing Tyquan Thornton and Nikko Remigio. Mahomes has had only one 1,000-yard wide receiver in his career, Hill. Obviously, the position will be a heavy Kansas City focus in next month’s draft.