The Kansas City Chiefs have yet to clarify whether or not offensive coordinator Matt Nagy will move on from Kansas City, but the offensive coaching staff will be different in 2026.
On Thursday, Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star reported the Chiefs have fired running backs coach Todd Pinkston and wide receivers Connor Embree. The latter’s dismissal was reported last week, but now McDowell has confirmed the expulsion of both assistant coaches.
The 2025 season was Pinkston’s third as the running backs coach in Kansas City, joining the staff when Nagy assumed the offensive coordinator role in 2023. The former NFL wide receiver coached a backfield that mainly consisted of running backs Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Kareem Hunt over three years.
In Pinkston’s first season, Pacheco rushed for 935 yards, but no Chiefs player rushed for over 750 yards in the two years since.
Pinkston was hired as an assistant after working with head coach Andy Reid through a coaching internship in 2022. He had experience as the wide receivers coach at Austin Peay State University before becoming the associate head coach at Stockbridge High School in Georgia.
His 11-year career as an NFL wide receiver — and his experience coaching that position at lower levels — did not translate to coaching the running backs impactfully in Kansas City over three years.
Embree coached the position Pinkston played, while Pinkston coached the position Embree was seemingly more familiar with. Despite playing quarterback his senior year at Blue Valley West High School, Embree was a two-star running back recruit, according to 247sports. He was listed as a running back during his playing days at the University of Kansas.
It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs’ offensive coaching staff shapes up from here — and if the new hires are more traditional fits in each position room.
