The Kansas City Chiefs have not been their usual unstoppable selves on offense. Whether it’s the absence of former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, a slight drop in the play of Travis Kelce, or simply a lack of reliable playmakers, Patrick Mahomes and company have looked human on the offensive side of the ball.
At 9-6, the Chiefs are still on pace to win the AFC West, but they might not make a sixth consecutive trip to the AFC Championship Game. However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that old friend Eric Bieniemy could come back and try to save this team in the postseason.
NFL Insider: Chiefs Could Reunite With Eric Bieniemy
How Soon Could He Join?
As of this posting, Eric Bieniemy is currently employed by the Washington Commanders. However, the team will likely fire head coach Ron Rivera at the end of the season. Once that happens, Washington has the option to hold on to other members of the staff. If Bieniemy is not one of the held staff members, then he’d have the right to join Kansas City’s coaching staff for the postseason.
Of course, this assumes that Eric Bieniemy does not attract any head coaching interest. A big reason Bieniemy left in Kansas City in the first place was to prove that he’s more than just a product of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. He likely proved that point, as he helped former fifth-round pick Sam Howell string together a strong first half of the season. Washington’s biggest failure came on the defensive side of the ball, and that’s not Bieniemy’s responsibility.
A lot would need to happen for Eric Bieniemy to come back for the 2023 postseason, but if he can’t get a head coaching job, it’s easy to see him re-joining the team in 2024. Kansas City misses his impact on the offense and his success with Howell shows that he is more than just Reid’s yes-man.
Can Eric Bieniemy Fix the Chiefs Offense?
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that Eric Bieniemy will come back for the playoff run. On its own, will he be enough to fix the offense? After all, most of the Chiefs wide receivers are terrible, and nobody can force the players to physically catch accurate passes.
That being said, the 2022 season shows that Bieniemy could probably help. Last year’s supporting cast is essentially the same as 2023’s, except Rashee Rice has replaced Juju Smith-Schuster. Rice is an upgrade on the current Patriot, so the results should be better this year. While some of the offensive dropoff comes from Kelce starting to show signs of age and Mahomes not playing at the same ridiculous level, it’s safe to assume that the scheme isn’t as good as last year.
Eric Bieniemy won’t have to re-invent the playbook if he comes back for the postseason run. That being said, his familiarity with Mahomes, the plays he likes to run and the type of coaching he needs to play his best football could be invaluable during January and (hopefully) February. Perhaps it won’t be enough for Kansas City to successfully defend their title, but it certainly won’t hurt matters.
Main Photo: Geoff Burke – USA Today Sports
