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Days after officially returning as the offensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, Eric Bieniemy spoke with the Kansas City media on Wednesday. Bieniemy spent a decade on Kansas City’s staff from 2013 to 2022 and was the offensive coordinator for his last five seasons with the Chiefs.
Bieniemy left the team following the Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVII. He spent the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders before leading UCLA’s offense in 2024. In 2025, he was the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the Bears ranked fourth in the league this season with 0.04 expected points added (EPA) per rush play.
Currently, Bieniemy is working through how the concepts he has learned in three years away from Kansas City can help the Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid.
“I’ve had an opportunity to learn a few things,” he remarked. “I’ve obviously opened my mind to how to view things from a different point of view. It’s great, but on top of that, we’ve got to make sure we’re getting down to what’s best for us when it’s all said and done with.”
“Anybody can present an idea,” Bieniemy acknowledged. “More importantly, we need to make sure, first and foremost, that we’re taking a look at anything we need to continue to improve on or continue working with and making sure we’re getting all the answers first with that and then just figure out where we need to go from there.”
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Stepping out of Reid’s shadow allowed Bieniemy to develop as a communicator.
“I think it’s helped me in a number of ways,” said the coach. “When you’re doing it on your own, you’ve got to find creative ways to implement a system. You learn a lot about yourself — the good, the bad, and the ugly. All ideas are not bad ideas; we just need to be receptive to them. Just the dynamic of working with people, learning how to communicate and articulate your plan, and getting them to buy in — I think all that helps.”
“I’ve learned a lot over the years,” Bieniemy pointed out. “I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’m excited just to get started. Obviously, today is Day 1. I want to make sure on Day 2, 3, 4 and 5 we hit the ground running with all this excitement and all this energy that’s being created.”
Because he is just coming off a postseason run with the Bears, Bieniemy admits he is still in the early stages of planning what can be done to improve the Chiefs, who struggled offensively down the stretch of a disappointing 6-11 season. While away, however, he continued to look at Kansas City for ideas on new plays of his own.
“I really haven’t had an opportunity to dig in and really study it like I want to,” he offered. “Every now and then, I would pick up a few ideas or a few plays here and there. But I really haven’t had a chance to dig in like I want to. I’m going to spend this time during this period just to figure out the good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent.”
One area Bieniemy should make an immediate impact on is resurrecting the Chiefs’ lethargic run game. He will work with Reid — and offensive line coach Andy Heck — on solutions to make that portion of the offense more exciting.
“With Coach Reid,” he predicted, “we’re going to figure out things that we need to do moving forward as far as making sure we get the right people in the building. When it’s all said and done with, we’re going to make sure we can do the things that we do best. We have one of the better O-line coaches in the industry in Coach Heck. He does an outstanding job with those guys up front.”
“Have I been exposed to a number of run schemes? Yes,” Bieniemy reflected aloud. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing what’s best for us moving forward. I think that’s just a general overall plan.”
Since Bieniemy left, the Chiefs have (fairly or not) been perceived to lack accountability on offense both for coaches and players. Bieniemy expects all individuals — players and assistants — to be coachable.
“That’s why we get paid,” he declared. “We’re coaches. It’s our job to come up with answers. We’ve got to make sure we can give solutions to the answers and resolve it. We’ve got a great coaching staff. We’ve got great people. I feel like I’m back in with family. We’re all very familiar with each other, so we’ll sit down and figure everything out together.”
As for players, Bieniemy is excited to start fresh with new ideas, but the vocal, hard-nosed coach fans saw for a decade remains.
“There are some things about me that have changed,” Bieniemy stated, “but more than anything, EB is EB. We will still be disciplined in detail in everything in how we handle our business. There’s a standard of performance. There’s a standard of excellence that will be expected. But on top of that, there’s been a great deal of wealth that I’ve learned through the good and the bad. The thing that I appreciate is it’s just helped me to grow into this role and have this opportunity to be in this situation again.”
