Skip to main content

Brad Childress joins Chiefs as 'spread game analyst'

Way back in early January, Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid met with his former longtime offensive coordinator, Brad Childress, about an advisor position.

Three months later, the Chiefs announced that Childress indeed will be on Reid's coaching staff in a rather unique role.

Free-agent tracker

NFL free agency is underway. Follow all of the latest player rumors and signings in our free-agent tracker. More...

Childress' official title is "Spread Game Analyst/Special Projects."

While we've never heard of that title before, the inference is that Childress will help implement elements of the spread offense, which has become increasingly popular in the NFL. Reid is unlikely to ditch his West Coast scheme, but he could be looking for an occasional curveball to throw at defensive coordinators.

Childress' first job might be to explore how to take advantage of quarterback Alex Smith's experience in the spread-option under Urban Meyer at Utah. Like Jay Cutlerin Marc Trestman's offense, Smith is athletic enough to give defenses pause on option plays, even it's only a minor part of the Chiefs' offensive attack.

Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.