The Chiefs are clearly shaking things up, with a series of offseason hires reshaping Andy Reid’s coaching staff. However, it’s hard to say everything has gone exactly according to the front office’s plan, especially after the Arizona Cardinals took away an assistant the Chiefs were counting on for next season. That very move has led to a quick pivot by Kansas City. The backup is already in the building.

Chiefs’ outside linebackers coach Rod Wilson looks to be on his way out to Arizona, and in his place, the Chiefs have decided to bring in a familiar face to coach the unit. Former senior defensive assistant Matt House will be the LBs/OLBs coach for the 2026 season, Kansas City’s official website has confirmed.

The decision to promote House is a masterstroke. Last season, the Chiefs’ defense lacked its edge and fell flat when it mattered the most. They ranked 29th in third-down sack percentage, often letting opposing quarterbacks escape the pocket. Furthermore, the linebacker corps struggled with lateral speed, contributing to a run defense that allowed a disappointing 4.4 yards per carry.

House returned to the Chiefs for his second stint with the team in 2025, having led the LBs in the Jaguars last year, a group that had a rather productive year. LBs Devin Lloyd and Foyesade Oluokun racked up 113 and 108 tackles, respectively, and combined for 3.0 sacks, 11 passes defensed, and 13 tackles for loss.

House inherits a linebacker room at a crossroads. He will be tasked with maximizing Nick Bolton, who remains the heart of the defense. He still managed a staggering 154 total tackles in 2025, but the coaching staff is looking for more explosive plays, specifically in creating the turnovers, where the unit produced only three forced fumbles all last year.

House’s success with Devin Lloyd in Jacksonville, who recorded 113 tackles and 11 passes defended, suggests he can turn Bolton and Leo Chenal into more versatile threats.

For two years before his stint with the Jaguars, he was the DC/LBs coach for LSU, and their defensive unit was one of the best in the country, ranking in the top half of pretty much every single metric. LSU had poached him from the Chiefs, where House had his first stint during 2019-21.

He had three productive years with the Chiefs, with the LBs unit combining for 5.5 sacks and 275 tackles in 2019, 3.0 sacks and 245 tackles the following year, and 1.5 sacks, 10 passes defensed, and 18 tackles for loss in 2021. LBs Nick Bolton and Anthony Hitchens combined for 192 tackles in House’s final year.

Before the first stop at Kansas, he also had stints with Kentucky, Florida International, Pittsburgh, the Rams, the Panthers, the University of Buffalo, North Carolina, and Michigan State University, where he started his coaching career. After a one-year run as the DA, he’s back coaching the linebackers for the Chiefs, and it would be rather hard to live up to the standards Rob Wilson has set.

Cardinals set to bring Rob Wilson on board

According to CBS reporter Matt Zenitz, the Cardinals are hiring Chiefs’ outside linebackers coach Rod Wilson as inside linebackers coach.

“The Cardinals have finalized the hiring of Chiefs outside linebackers coach Rod Wilson as inside linebackers coach, sources tell CBS Sports,” the reporter wrote. “The former South Carolina and NFL linebacker worked for Kansas City for the last four years.”

He is set to work under the Cardinals‘ new head coach, Mike LaFleur. Over the last nine years, Wilson has worked across multiple positions in Kansas City, including special teams assistant, defensive assistant, and outside linebackers coach.

He was pivotal, no matter what role he took on, and his tenure with the Chiefs resulted in three Super Bowl rings.

2025 wasn’t the best year for the Chiefs on both sides of the ball. The defense struggled to finish big pass-rush plays, especially on key downs, ranking 29th in sacks on third-and-long situations, so the OLB group clearly didn’t generate consistent pressure on the edges.

But of course, Wilson’s coaching career goes beyond the 2025 season, and it’s still a big loss for Kansas City. The assistant also has some playing experience in his bag, with stints in the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars, a career that spanned six years.

His first coaching job was at Charleston Southern, and he made a switch to CSU not long after, where he coached for three years, following which he had his first stint with Kansas City. In 2020, he was the LBs coach at South Carolina and ultimately found his way back to the Chiefs. Andy Reid will certainly miss the familiarity.