The Kansas City Chiefs’ current dynasty began when Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback in 2018. But an underrated part of that ascent was that Eric Bieniemy took over as offensive coordinator that same season.
Bienemy brought a fiery approach to the Chiefs and it helped Kansas City rank in the top 10 of total offense and points in all five seasons with the team. While Bienemy left in 2023, his void still remains as he brought an approach the Chiefs could use to get back to the top of the mountain next season.
Bears RB Coach Eric Bienemy Brings an Approach Chiefs Should Mirror Next Season
After spending 2023 as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator and holding the same position along with associate head coach at UCLA last season, Bienemy has returned to the NFL as the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears. While the Bears haven’t had an official carry during OTAs, we still got an update on how things are going thanks to Herb Howard of The Bigs.
In the clip, Bieniemy is coaching his group as they run through a drill. When rookie running back Kyle Monongai skips through the drill, Bienemy calls him out, leading to an exchange between teacher and student.
“Boy, you look like an old a– man,” Bieniemy said.
“You love me!” Monongai shouted back.
“I don’t love yo’ a–!” Bienemy replied.
Such is an approach that Bieniemy has brought throughout his career. A former star at the University of Colorado and a nine-year veteran in the NFL, Bienemy has worked with the likes of Adrian Peterson and Kareem Hunt as they ascended to superstar status. While his approach can come off as abrasive, it’s exactly what the Chiefs could use as they head into next season.
Matt Nagy returned for a second stint as offensive coordinator upon Bieniemy’s departure in 2023 and things haven’t gone as smoothly. The Chiefs ranked ninth in total offense and 15th in scoring in Nagy’s first season back but Kansas City dropped to 16th in total offense and remained 15th in scoring last season.
A report from ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler after the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles made things worse when passing game coordinator Joe Bleymaier admitted they felt the weight of getting the most out of Mahomes the past two seasons.
“You feel the burden as a coach and as you’re putting a game plan together to not waste his abilities,” Bleymaier said. “To not go through a season where you don’t give him the opportunity. To not screw it up as the coaching staff. So rather than feeling like this just unbridled excitement that we could do anything, it’s actually more like a terror, like we cannot be the reason that we screwed this guy up or this team up.”
For all of his shortcomings, Bieniemy hasn’t coached like someone who is scared to mess things up. Even dealing with a rookie, he insists on coaching them hard and letting them deal with whether they succeed or fail.
With the Chiefs looking to win their third championship in the past four seasons and fourth since 2019, Mahomes and the rest of the offense would benefit from a throwback approach next season.
