Eric Bieniemy back with Chiefs after time away

Bieniemy’s wife, Mia, was the victim of a shooting that took place at the Bieniemy home on Sunday, so his decision to depart from camp does not come as a surprise. His son, Elijah, has since been arrested and charged with three felonies related to the shooting, and his wife is reported to be in stable condition. Reid did not give a timeline for when he expects Bieniemy to return, but we would expect him to be granted as much time as needed. Bieniemy re-joined the Chiefs this offseason after spending three seasons with the Commanders, UCLA, and the Bears.

Mia Bieniemy is reportedly in stable condition and was treated for “serious injuries,” according to police in Loudon County, Virginia. The shooting reportedly took place around 7:00 p.m ET, and Elijah Bieniemy, the son of Eric and Mia, is reportedly being charged with three felonies that include use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, malicious wounding, and discharging a firearm within a building. Elijah Bieniemy was reportedly arraigned on Monday morning. Eric Bieniemy was already with the Chiefs in Missouri during the team’s training camp, and the Chiefs did release a statement saying they were aware of the incident. Our thoughts are with the Bieniemy family.

Taylor writes that the Chiefs led the league in run-pass option plays last year and the results were poor. New OC Eric Bieniemy just spent time in Chicago with one of the most varied run attacks in the game and is expected to “revamp” the Chiefs run blocking scheme. Getting away from the RPO game would give Kansas City’s linemen more space to operate in and let them potentially push open bigger holes without the fear of a penalty for illegal man downfield.

Apparently, there wasn’t much to think about when deciding whether Andy Reid would be interested in running things back with Bieniemy. Bieniemy was a member of Reid’s coaching staff from 2013 to 2022 and served as offensive coordinator beginning in 2018 until leaving for the Commanders during the 2023 offseason. During Bieniemy’s time as OC, the Chiefs never finished worse than sixth in scoring, although some of that could also be a direct reflection of the team having Tyreek Hill in his prime to stretch the field and make defenders miss. Last year’s offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy, saw his contract expire at the end of this season and he is in the mix for multiple head coaching opening across the league. The Chiefs had their worst offensive season of the Patrick Mahomes era in 2025. Hopefully, an infusion of young talent this offseason coupled with the return if Bieniemy can lead to a bounce-back for an offense that was among the league’s best the last time he coached the team.

Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s contract will expire shortly, and he continues to draw interest around the league for head coaching vacancies. Bieniemy, who last worked with the Chiefs in 2022, has bounced around jobs over the last three season, spending 2023 with the Commanders before moving on to UCLA as an assistant head coach and OC in 2024, and landing with the Bears in his current role this season. Bieniemy has a long history with the Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid, and was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams in 2019 and 2022. The Chiefs never finished lower than sixth in total points scored since Bieniemy took over as offensive coordinator in 2018, but they’ve finished 15th or worse in scoring in every season since his departure. A reunion would make sense for both sides and could help the Chiefs recapture some of what made them one of the most prolific offenses in the league for five-straight seasons.

Bieniemy joins Ben Johnson’s staff in Chicago amidst a complete retool of the coaching ranks. He coached for the UCLA Bruins in 2024 after a one-year stint as the offensive coordinator for the Commanders and a five-year stint with the Chiefs during the early portion of Patrick Mahomes’ career. The hiring appears to be a leap of faith by the Bears after Bieniemy was fired after just one season in each of his previous two positions across multiple levels, with Bieniemy now looking to reestablish a coaching presence in the NFL.

Bieniemy was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2018-2022 for the early stages of Patrick Mahomes’ career, though he was not the play-caller for the offense. He then had one-year OC stints with the Commanders and UCLA. Now, Schultz reports that Bieniemy was a “top candidate” for the Patriots’ OC job had Josh McDaniels not returned. Bieniemy is speaking to NFL teams and could return to the NFL level soon.

Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger was the first to report the story. The former Chiefs offensive coordinator has now gone one-and-done in back-to-back seasons with the Commanders (2023) and UCLA Bruins (2024). Things never clicked for Bieniemy at UCLA, as his offense ranked 126th among 134 FBS schools in points per game (18.4), and 117th in offensive yards per game (328.8). Once a popular name in NFL coaching cycles, it’s safe to say the shine has worn off Bieniemy over the last two years. He’ll likely draw interest from NFL clubs next offseason, but the two-time Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator may not be in charge of offensive play-calling at his next landing spot.

Bieniemy didn’t get into detail about what he was offered to do with the Commanders if he were to remain on staff, but the former offensive coordinator of the Commanders and Chiefs is now set to take his talents to the college game after accepting a job as UCLA’s associate head coach/offensive coordinator. Bieniemy also noted that he “had countless conversations and interviews with many teams” after he and the Commanders parted ways, which loosely confirms earlier reports from Adam Schefter, who said earlier this month that “a few teams” interview Bieniemy for their offensive coordinator vacancies. Bieniemy has familiarity with the college game, and last served as Colorado’s offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2012. How long he remains with UCLA could be dependent whether or not the NFL comes calling next offseason.

Per Thamel, new, first-time Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster wants to run an NFL system and was seeking a “splash hire.” Bieniemy is certainly that, though it’s stunning he couldn’t generate continued NFL interest after his one-year stint in Washington. Perceived as pass-happy and “old school” in his demeanor, Bieniemy has evidently worn out his NFL welcome for the time being. He has long been connected to college openings, but always as a head coach. It’s quite possible Bieniemy’s return to the college sidelines — he previously worked for UCLA and Colorado — is a one-year sojourn before returning to the pros.