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The staff of Chiefs HC Andy Reid continues to change this offseason.
Following a disappointing season, the Kansas City Chiefs know things must be different. Change is taking place at the player level, but head coach Andy Reid’s staff is also seeing some shakeup as January slowly comes to a close.
On Thursday, another pair of moves was reported. Two new assistants are joining Kansas City in quality control roles: one on each side of the ball.
Chiefs Hiring C.J. Cox as Defensive Quality Control Coach
Early on the morning of January 29, Pete Thamel of ESPN put his college football insider hat on and broke some interesting news. Per Thamel, the Chiefs are closing in on a contract with C.J. Cox as a defensive quality control coach.
Cox will work with defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive backs coach Dave Merritt in the secondary.
“Sources: The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to hire veteran defensive backs coach C.J. Cox as a quality control coach,” Thamel wrote. “He’ll work with the defensive backs. He’s worked at Coastal Carolina, UAB and Kent State in recent years.”
Cox was selected as a member of the 2023 American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35 class. The veteran coach did so after spending time with Kent State as their secondary coach and pass game coordinator. In 2024 with UAB, he helped the Blazers improve from 88th in pass defense to 17th. This past year, Coastal Carolina surrendered 249.4 passing yards per game, 115th in the nation.
Spending 2018-2020 with the University of Montana, Cox helped coach their cornerbacks en route to an FCS Championship quarterfinal matchup in 2019. He also has a year of cornerback coaching background at Sacramento State and five years of work at UNLV.
A UNLV alum, Cox brings a diverse coaching resume to the Chiefs and could become a relied-upon piece for Merritt and Spagnuolo.
Kansas City Adding Nate Pagan to Offensive Staff for 2026-27 Season
The moves don’t stop there. Less than an hour after Thamel’s report, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports added another development.
Kansas City is adding Nate Pagan to their staff as a quality control coach as well. He’s already updated the role on his official X account.
“The Chiefs are hiring Villanova wide receivers coach Nate Pagan as a quality control coach, a source tells CBS Sports,” Zenitz’s tweet began. “Produced at least one all-conference receiver at Villanova in six of his seven seasons as the team’s receivers coach.”
A West Chester graduate back in 2013, Pagan got his start in coaching at SUNY Cortland as a wideouts coach. He then went to Stevenson and held the same title, adding special teams coordinator into the mix. That led to his time at Villanova, where he’s worked his way up from offensive assistant to receivers coach.
Under Pagan’s leadership, players like Jaaron Hayek (2,744 yards and 29 touchdowns) and Rayjuon Pringle (2,537 yards and 23 touchdowns) blossomed. His combination of experience and insight made the Wildcats’ passing game and special teams attack more explosive.
NFL quality control coaches, despite being low on the totem pole, remain important. They assist their peers in scouring over tape, diving into statistics and helping make data-driven planning decisions. Scouting reports are also oftentimes a critical part of that job. For the Chiefs, they can’t have enough hands on deck as they try to get back on track.
With the additions of Cox and Pagan, they get a couple of eager minds and fresh faces for the organization.
Jordan Foote is a seasoned sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com with an emphasis on the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. He has years of experience publishing NFL and MLB content for Sports Illustrated’s On SI vertical, in addition to a background in NBA coverage for multiple outlets. Foote is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media. He’s based in Kansas City. More about Jordan Foote
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