Two Broncos offensive linemen have been named finalists for the NFL’s inaugural Protector of the Year Award.
Left tackle Garett Bolles and right guard Quinn Meinerz are among the six candidates for the award. The prize is designed to honor the league’s top offensive lineman for a given season.
Bolles and Meinerz are joined as finalists by Dolphins center Aaron Brewer, Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, Lions right tackle Penei Sewell, and Bears left guard Joe Thuney.
The winner will be announced at next week’s NFL Honors show and will be chosen by a panel of former NFL offensive linemen. LeCharles Bentley, Jason Kelce, Shaun O’Hara, Orlando Pace, Will Shields, and Andrew Whitworth make up that panel.
Chiefs Clips
Eric Bieniemy was enjoying his time as the Bears’ running backs coach, helping the team win an NFC North title and a playoff game.
But then a special opportunity came up and Bieniemy jumped at it.
“If ‘Big Red’ ever picks up the phone,” Bieniemy said Wednesday, referring to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, “that’s the only person you’ll say, ‘Hey, you know what, it might be time to return home,’ because he’s given me this opportunity.”
Bieniemy, who spoke to Kansas City media in a video conference this week, is back as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator — the same position he held from 2018-2022, winning a pair of Super Bowls with the club. Since then, he’s served as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator, UCLA’s offensive coordinator, and the Bears’ RBs coach.
Bieniemy noted those experiences, particularly calling plays for the Commanders and UCLA, have helped him grow.
“[W]hen you’re doing it on your own, you have to find creative ways to implement a system,” Bieniemy said. “On top of that, you learn a lot about yourself. The good, the bad, and the ugly. … Just a dynamic of working with people, learning how to communicate and articulate your plan, and getting them to buy in. I think all that helps, and I think that any experience that you’ve had, whether it’s good or bad, it’s all something that we can learn from.
“With that said, I’ve learned a lot over the years. I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’m just excited just to get started and obviously today is day one, but I want to make sure day two, three, four, five that we hit the ground running with all this excitement and all this energy that’s being created.”
Bieniemy added he feels “like a kid in the candy store” returning to Kansas City.
“[H]aving this opportunity to come back and be put in this chair with coach Reid, that was just something that it’s tough to pass up on,” Bieniemy said. “With all that taking place, I’m excited, I’m fired up, it was one of them deals that happened fast and I’m looking forward to it.”
But even with Bieniemy’s experiences over the last few years with other teams, he said he won’t be too different.
“There are some things about me that have changed, but more than anything, EB is EB,” Bieniemy said. “We will still be disciplined and detailed 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 has been a great deal of wealth that I’ve learned. Through the good and through the bad and the thing that I appreciate has just helped me to grow into this role and have this opportunity to be in this situation again.”
There is some positive news on quarterback Gardner Minshew as he heads toward free agency.
Minshew is back to full health after suffering a bone bruise in his knee late in the regular season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Minshew was originally thought to have suffered a torn ACL in Kansas City’s Week 16 loss to the Titans. But it was soon after revealed that while he did not tear his ACL, Minshew would still need to miss some time.
Minshew signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs last offseason to be the backup to Patrick Mahomes. He appeared in four games with one start for Kansas City, completing just 6-of-13 passes for 37 yards with an interception.
A sixth-round pick in 2019, Minshew has played 63 games with 47 starts for the Jaguars, Eagles, Colts, Raiders, and Chiefs. He’s completed 63.1 percent of his career passes for 11,987 yards with 68 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has not yet made it clear whether or not he intends to retire or return for the 2026 season.
Kelce is expected to make his intentions clear to the organization sooner than later. But ownership would like to see Kelce come back.
In a Tuesday appearance on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said he’s hopeful Kelce plays his 14th season.
“Well as an organization, we certainly hope that he will come back,” Hunt said. “He had another great year, maybe not on par with where he was four or five years ago, but still had over 800 yards, and was really one of the leaders on the offensive side of the ball for us. So there’s no doubt in my mind that he can still play. We’re trying to be respectful and let him have the time that he needs to make a decision.
“He has sort of a busy offseason coming up with his engagement and marriage, so we want to be respectful and give him the time he needs to make a decision. But we certainly hope that he’ll be back.”
Kelce, 36, played all 17 games in 2025, recording 76 receptions for 851 yards with five touchdowns — leading the Chiefs in all three categories. He was a Pro Bowler for the 11th consecutive season.
Matt Nagy is no longer with the Chiefs, as the team brought back Eric Bieniemy to be its offensive coordinator in 2026.
But according to Kansas City head coach Andy Reid, it has long been the plan for Nagy to depart the organization this year to run his own offense.
“We left it that simple, that’s what I would tell you,” Reid said in his Monday video conference. “I know everybody’s going to question everything and I get all that. It’s understandable. But Matt and I have a great relationship. And here he sits, and before the season, right before the season even started here, I knew that he wanted an opportunity to have his own show.
“He’s been a head coach. He was coach of the year. I mean, all the things I’ve said about him, I still feel about him. There’s nothing different there. He deserves to have a head coaching job. And if not, it gives him an opportunity to go out and do his thing.”
Nagy has received some interest from the Cardinals, Ravens, Raiders, and Titans in this coaching cycle. But with two of those teams already hiring head coaches, it appears more likely that Nagy will end up as a team’s offensive coordinator in 2026.
Reid compared the situation with Nagy to that of Bieniemy a few years ago, when Bieniemy departed the Chiefs to become the Commanders’ offensive coordinator. That gave Bieniemy an opportunity to run his own offense the way he saw fit. The same applies now for Nagy, who received a hearty endorsement from Reid.
“[T]his gives Matt an opportunity to go out and run his show there and do what he does best — taking two Super Bowl championships with him and three Super Bowl appearances, and a top 10 offense that he was working with this past year,” Reid said. “He’ll go out and be able to put his own mark on things. That takes my name off of it, and he gets the purity of it. I was hoping that it would be a head coaching position — and it still might be that. He deserves that — definitely, for sure. And if that doesn’t work, it gives him an opportunity to step in as a coordinator and run a show from there.
“I mean, somebody’s missing a gem here. That’s how I feel,” Reid later added. “I would love to see him get picked up and going. And at the same time, we got back a gem. So, it has a chance to be a win-win here when everything’s said and done.”
Eric Bieniemy is officially back with the Chiefs as their offensive coordinator and head coach Andy Reid is fired up about it.
Speaking to reporters in a video conference on Monday, Reid noted that Bieniemy’s return is a significant positive for the club — though Reid was also clear that he wasn’t putting down what former coordinator Matt Nagy was able to do in the position.
“I think we all know the energy Eric brings and what he gives to a football team,” Reid said. “He’s coming off a heck of a season with the Chicago Bears, my hat goes off to the Bears and the great job they did there.
“I thought Matt brought great energy, too, with his. It’s just, it’s different,” Reid added. “They both have their own personalities that they share with it. EB does, he’s going to be very direct with the players, very direct with the coaches. It’s a different flavor. Both have been very productive in this system here. So, I think it’s a win-win for us that way. But there’s nobody like EB on the field that way. … He does a great job there.”
Bieniemy, 56, won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs while in the same position before heading off to become the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2023. He as then UCLA’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator in 2024 before getting back in the league as Chicago’s running backs coach in 2025.
“Everywhere you go in this business, you pick something up,” Reid said. “And you might take it with you or you might say, ‘You know what, I’m not going to do that, I don’t want to do that.’ And at the same time, he’s got all those years in this system, too. So, he understands that. So, I welcome that.”
Bieniemy will not, however, take over the play-calling duties full-time, as those will still be under Reid’s purview.
“I still enjoy calling plays,” Reid said. “But what I do, I’m not afraid to delegate and get opinions from people. And then even in certain situations, letting them go ahead and call things in different areas. So we do this jointly. I keep it open. And I’ve felt that that’s the best way.
“I want guys to contribute. I want them to work hard, be an expert in their area as and then cumulatively in all areas. So I’ve always mixed and matched there, I guess I’d tell you, and it’s seemed to have been fairly productive.”
So what will Bieniemy bring back to the fold?
“I think he’s got a great knowledge of the offense,” Reid said. “I think he understands leadership. I’ve always said he’s a great leader of men — whether it’s coaches, players, I think he does a good job there. He’s good with you guys. I think he’s very honest. And there’s no hidden agendas. That’s just his personality. And we’re talking about EB here, I’m not talking about Matt Nagy, we’re not comparing here. This is EB. You asked me his strengths, those are his strengths.”
The Chiefs have made it official: Eric Bieniemy is back.
Kansas City announced that Bieniemy has returned to the franchise as its offensive coordinator on Friday.
For several weeks, there had been rumblings that Bieniemy could return to the Chiefs after the club finished the 2025 season 6-11, ranking No. 20 in total yards and No. 21 in points scored.
While Matt Nagy generated some buzz as a head coaching candidate, he will officially depart the franchise. Nagy’s contract with Kansas City was expiring. The Chiefs put out a “thank you” message to Nagy on social media a few hours before announcing Bieniemy’s return, confirming Nagy is out.
Bieniemy was on Andy Reid’s offensive staff in Kansas City from 2013-2022, first serving as running backs coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2018. Bieniemy was the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2023 before serving as UCLA’s offensive coordinator in 2024. He returned to the NFL as Chicago’s running backs coach in 2025.
The Falcons’ search for a new General Manager is set to take several steps forward on Friday.
Albert Breer of SI.com reports that the team will hold four interviews with candidates for the position. Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham, 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, Eagles senior personnel director Joe Douglas, and Chiefs assistant GM Mike Bradway will all be meeting with the team.
Cunningham and Williams interviewed with the team for their president of football job before Matt Ryan was hired earlier this month.
The Falcons interviewed Steelers assistant GM Andy Weidl and Texans assistant GM James Liipfert on Thursday. There have not been any reports of other candidates in the mix, so the team’s hire may be coming soon.
The Chiefs have agreed to terms with Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator, making his hire official Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.
A report two days ago indicated the Chiefs planned to hire Bieniemy.
Matt Nagy began his second stint with the Chiefs when Bieniemy left the team before the 2023 season, but Nagy has an expiring contract. He has interviewed for several head coaching jobs.
Bieniemy was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator from 2018-22 before leaving to call plays for the Commanders. He was UCLA’s offensive coordinator in 2024 before coaching the Bears’ running backs in 2025.
In Bieniemy’s previous five years with the Chiefs, the Chiefs finished no lower than sixth in points per game.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, though, will continue as the team’s play caller.
With Eric Bieniemy expected to return to Kansas City as offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy is on the way out.
While at present it doesn’t look like a head coaching job is going to materialize for Nagy, he’s a candidate for a prominent offensive coordinator role.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Nagy interviewed for the Eagles offensive coordinator vacancy on Wednesday.
Nagy, 47, got his start in the league with the Eagles under former head coach Andy Reid in 2008. He stayed with the franchise through 2012, ending his tenure as an offense quality control coach before becoming Kansas City’s QBs coach under Reid in 2013.
After going 34-33 as Bears head coach from 2018-2021, Nagy returned to the Chiefs in 2022 as senior assistant and quarterbacks coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator when Bieniemy left the franchise after winning Super Bowl LVII.
Nagy was considered a frontrunner to land the Titans’ job, but that went to Robert Saleh this week. Nagy also interviewed with the Raiders, Cardinals, and Ravens in this coaching cycle.
