Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media this afternoon in his first conference call of the 2020 NFL offseason.
Reid began by addressing the elephant in the room, which is the league-wide response to the COVID-19 pandemic plaguing our country.
“My heart goes out to everybody who’s suffered through this son of a gun,” Reid said per KC Star reporter Herbie Teope.
While the pandemic has clearly interrupted the norm for this time of year, Reid’s concern remains that everyone stays safe and healthy during these trying times. So far, that has been the case in Kansas City as Reid confirmed that no Chiefs player, coaches or members of the personnel staff have tested positive for the coronavirus.
While the Chiefs will continue to stay up to date and monitor the situation, it’s clear they’ve taken the appropriate measures to keep their people informed and safe.
On the 2020 NFL draft
As the team prepares for the 2020 NFL draft, the coaches and front office staff are working from home. Reid was working from his basement, where he claimed to be wearing his typical attire for this time of year.
While the team still doesn’t know where they’ll conduct the 2020 NFL draft, they’re exploring a variety of options, including having the war room at a local Kansas City hotel.
Reid had high praise for the Chiefs’ Director of Video Operations and the entire Arrowhead IT department according to Chiefs team reporter BJ Kissel. They’ve made this process incredibly easy by connecting the Chiefs’ staff together while they’re forced to remain apart.
They’ve also done a good job ensuring that the Chiefs can communicate with draft prospects in an efficient and timely manner ahead of the draft.
On Chris Jones and Sammy Watkins
Reid was curt when speaking about the contracts and situations with Chris Jones and Sammy Watkins. He emphasized that he leaves all of that stuff up to Brett Veach and stays out of it, citing his failures with the Philadelphia Eagles when Reid was both the coach and general manager.
As for what will happen with Watkins and his high salary-cap hit for the 2020 season, Reid deferred to Veach.
On free agent signings
Reid was brief here, but it’s clear he saw something that he liked in former St. Louis BattleHawks QB Jordan Ta’amu when he was playing with the XFL. The team officially announced the signing of Ta’amu this morning.
