Kansas City’s former offensive coordinator is a candidate to return.
While offensive coordinator Matt Nagy interviews for head coaching positions, the Kansas City Chiefs have finally kicked off interviews for the offensive coordinator position with a familiar face to Chiefs Kingdom.
The first reported interview request by the Chiefs will be Bears’ running back coach Eric Bieniemy, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Bieniemy was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City from 2018-2022 before making a lateral move to coach the Washington Commanders for one season. After a one-year stint as associate head coach at UCLA, Bieniemy joined the Chicago Bears’ coaching staff with newly-hired head coach Ben Johnson as the running backs coach.
This season, Chicago won the NFC North and finished top 10 in scoring, total yards and rushing yards. On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams ended the Bears’ magical season in a 20-17 overtime thriller, and Bieniemy is now available to interview for opportunities for promotion.
Before Bieniemy’s five-year, two-championship run as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator, he was the running backs coach, a title he held from the first year of head coach Andy Reid’s tenure in 2013.
His time leading the Chiefs’ offense coincided with the first five seasons of quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ career, and Kansas City finished each year in the top 6 of NFL teams in scoring and total yardage. That’s remarkable when compared to the last three seasons: the Chiefs have not finished higher than ninth in either category.
Mahomes and Bieniemy had a unique relationship. The coach called him a “competitive prick” in the 2020 preseason, and there were multiple showcases of animated conversations on the sidelines during the 2021 season.
However, when Mahomes spoke with local media last Thursday, he made a point to emphasize accountability as a desired trait in the team’s next offensive coordinator. Well, real accountability from a football coach isn’t always fun for the player, and it doesn’t always look great to fans without the internal perspective.
Many factors are playing into the Chiefs’ interest in bringing back Bieniemy, but there’s one certainty in a potential return: he would heighten the passion and intensity in the offensive coaching staff.
Category: General Sports
