Chiefs Getting Band Back Together With Another Coaching Addition

Second coach hired this week

Reid also reportedly hired former NFL Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray to coach his running backs this week. The head coach said last month after returning offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to the staff that collaboration is critical, between coaches on the staff, and between coaches and players. And that goes for all phases, including Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

“I've got great guys here,” Reid said Jan. 26. “I mean, very few guys are as good as Joe Bleymaier. I feel very confident in him, in that offensive room. And Spags and his crew are here. Andy Heck, these guys are all guys that are top notch.

“So, there's good continuity, there's good teamwork that goes on. I know everybody can function well together. That becomes important.”

Something else that’s important was retaining defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who will work again with Bradden. Cullen interviewed for defensive-coordinator vacancies with at least two teams, Washington and Baltimore.

The Commanders hired Daronte Jones for that role, and new Baltimore head coach Jesse Minter – who confirmed he’ll call defensive plays for the Ravens -- hired Anthony Weaver.

A former college quarterback

Bradden replaces Alex Whittingham as assistant defensive line coach. Whittingham, the son of new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham, left the Chiefs last month to become the Wolverines’ linebackers coach.

A former quarterback at Howard (2009-10), Bradden began his coaching career in 2014 as a special-teams assistant at Florida Atlantic. After a year as head coach of his high school, Inlet Grove (Riviera Beach, Fla.), he spent a year at Bethune-Cookman before Reid gave him his first NFL job as a defensive assistant in 2017.

Bradden was a defensive quality control coach from 2018-20 and spent his final four years in Kansas City (2021-24) as assistant defensive line coach.

Chris Jones thrived with Bradden in that role. A first-team All-Pro for three straight seasons (2022-24), Jones in 2022 matched his career best with 15½ sacks, the lineman’s most since first establishing that career high in 2018.

Fired by Huskers coach Matt Rhule in December, Bradden completed a roller-coaster year at Nebraska. Similar to the Chiefs, Nebraska opened 5-1 but lost five of its last seven. Six of Bradden’s nine defensive linemen were in either their first or second seasons with the Huskers. Nebraska finished 30th in the country in total defense.

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