Kimes Wants More From Veach, Chiefs Front Office

Andy Reid is unanimously the best coach in the current NFL, but the jury is still sequestered while discussing general manager Brett Veach. That’s according to ESPN analyst Mina Kimes, who said this week Reid gets points in her book because he consistently wins despite less-than-ideal personnel.

“I don't have the Chiefs as a top front office right now,” she said on Wednesday’s edition of the Mina Kimes Show, with special guest Kevin Clark. “Andy Reid, actually, there's issues on his roster, and not that every other roster in the top five is perfect.

“Yes, obviously, getting to play with Patrick Mahomes as your quarterback makes life a hell of a lot easier as a coach. But I do think Reid's Chiefs, it's been multiple seasons, have overcome some major roster issues over the years that he also deserves a ton of credit for.”

Reid has led multiple franchises to multiple Super Bowls. His current franchise just got an NFL-leading seven primetime games in eight standalone windows on the 2025 schedule, so Reid and Mahomes are viewed by the consensus as the best coach-quarterback tandem in the league. But Kimes thinks they could be even better had they not missed in recent drafts.

“I think the roster gets bolstered a lot by the quarterback,” she said, “and there's been good draft picks, but there's been some misses in recent years. I have some issues … they haven't found that true stud edge, offensive-line issues. I think a lot will come down to this year, whether or not those young offensive linemen work out. I think that will kind of solidify how I feel.”

Clark feels differently. He ranked Veach and the Kansas City front office as fifth-best in the NFL, behind Philadelphia, Baltimore, the L.A. Rams and Detroit.

“Problems rarely linger there,” Clark said, referring to Kansas City. “And I am trusting the offensive line to get retooled. I'm trusting that the Joe Thuney trade will work out in some vague way.”

Clark said the Chiefs believe Rashee Rice will ascend to a higher level than most expect. And for the Chiefs, whose floor is considered a berth in the AFC Championship Game, Veach must be doing something well with his roster.

For example, Kansas City’s defense has struggled without Chris Jones on the field. Clark said Jones is the team’s Jenga piece, along with Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

“A couple of years ago,” Clark said, referring to the 2023 season-opening loss to Detroit, “Chris Jones was watching Game 1 from a luxury box. And they were able to get him under contract and get him happy. And I think that a lot more goes into GM-ing than just first-round picks. And I’m going to give Veach a body-of-work award in ranking him fifth.”

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