Eric Bieniemy has a resume that would make several NFL head coaches envious. What will it take for him to get one of those jobs?
We may find out next year.
Bieniemy’s agent confirmed his client will be the Commanders offensive coordinator. For all that Bieniemy accomplished as offensive coordinator in Kansas City, he’ll need to prove himself again for a chance to land a head-coaching job.
Bieniemy won his second Super Bowl as Chiefs offensive coordinator last week but interviewed for only one of the five open head-coaching positions this offseason.
Despite being interviewed by the Colts, they hired former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, whom the Chiefs beat in the Super Bowl.
Bieniemy doesn’t call plays in Kansas City, but he’s instrumental in how the team game-plans against opponents.
On Kansas City’s two fourth-quarter touchdowns in Super Bowl LVII, the team used a wide receiver motion to get its receivers open. The calls were motivated by what Bieniemy found watching Eagles film.
There were murmurs in the past that he interviewed poorly for head-coaching jobs, but those rumors were debunked.
If Bieniemy wrings a strong season out of unproven 2022 fifth-round draft pick Sam Howell in Washington, he should be the top candidate for every team looking for a head coach in 2024.
The move brings a high level of risk for Bieniemy. If he fails to build a successful offense with the Commanders, critics will deride his success in Kansas City as being the product of working with an all-time great quarterback-head coach duo.
That would be a disservice to what Bieniemy accomplished with the Chiefs.
More importantly than calling plays, a head coach needs to be able to see the bigger picture. Bieniemy understands how to exploit weaknesses that put his teams in the best position to succeed.
The lack of upward movement in Bieniemy’s coaching career is frustrating enough on a micro level, but when considering the league’s abysmal track record of hiring and promoting Black coaches, it appears a lot more noxious.
DeMeco Ryans was the only Black head coach hired this cycle. Things are even worse when looking at offensive coordinator hirings this offseason.
Bieniemy is one of two Black candidates to be selected out of the 11 confirmed offensive coordinator hires. Five open positions remain: in Arizona, Denver, Indianapolis, Kansas City and Philadelphia.
The Chiefs are expected to promote Matt Nagy to offensive coordinator, while it’s unclear what direction the other teams will take.
Bieniemy’s move to the Commanders could work out for the best. But it shouldn’t have reached this point.
He has already done enough to be a head coach.
