The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to hire Eric Bieniemy as their “new” offensive coordinator to replace former OC Matt Nagy, with the move reported by Jesse Newell and Dianna Russini of The Athletic.
This is a somewhat surprising rehire. Bieniemy, who’s 56, spent five years as the Chiefs defensive coordinator from 2018-22. He was extremely successful, largely because the Chiefs had receiver Tyreek Hill in his prime, not to mention quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce playing at peak levels. The Chiefs made three Super Bowl appearances with Bieniemy running the offense, winning two of them.
Bieniemy was a hot candidate to become a head coach when he left Kansas City, but he was unable to land a job as the head man. He became an offensive coordinator again with the Washington Commanders in 2023, and Bieniemy also had the title of associate head coach, but he wasn’t retained after a 4-13 season.
Bieniemy then moved on to become the OC at UCLA, but he was fired after the Bruins had a 5-7 season, and he spent last season as the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears. He’s been lauded for helping D’Andre Swift rush for over 1,000 yards and developing a rookie Kyle Monangai as the complementary back, but new coach Ben Johnson probably deserves the lion’s share of the credit for that development.
What’s especially surprising about this hire is about some comments quarterback Patrick Mahomes made recently when he gave an update about his ongoing rehab from the knee injury he suffered against the Houston Texans. Mahomes said he wanted new ideas every day from his new coordinator, and that doesn’t sound like Bieniemy at all, unless he’s learned some new tricks and strategies from Johnson.
In reality, this is more of a familiarity hire for coach Andy Reid. Technically the offensive coordinator is responsible for the game plans, but everyone knows this is Reid’s offense, and he adds the changes and wrinkles that show up on the field on Sundays.
The Chiefs could benefit from this hire in other ways, however. Bieniemy isn’t considered a strong tactical coach, but he is an excellent motivator who can be a disciplinarian when necessary, which could help with some of the issues the recievers had with drops and penalties on the offensive line. That’s something the Chiefs could use after finishing 6-11 as Kansas City goes back in time to recreate the coaching staff that helped create their championship run.