Chiefs' Eric Bieniemy on his return: 'It’s time to get back in the saddle'
Bieniemy returns for a second tour of duty as offensive coordinator
Eric Bieniemy admitted he was comfortable as the running backs coach with the Chicago Bears.
His coaching contributed to the Bears’ run to clinch the NFC North and a playoff berth, after all.
And a return to Kansas City as the Chiefs offensive coordinator likely wasn’t on his mind.
But it came down to a single phone call from coach Andy Reid the day after the Bears were knocked out of the playoffs.
“If Big Red ever picks up the phone, that’s the only person you’ll say, ‘Hey, you know what? It may be time to return home because he’s giving me this opportunity,’” Bieniemy said Wednesday during a Zoom teleconference. “But more than anything, it was very, very tough after exactly what we just went through. But more than anything, I’m fired up about this opportunity.
“I’m looking forward to it and it’s time to get back in the saddle.”
Bieniemy returns for a second stint on Reid’s staff as an offensive coordinator, a position he held in Kansas City from 2018-22.
He left in 2023 to call plays as an offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, followed by a stint in the same role in the college ranks with the UCLA Bruins in 2024.
Reid remains the primary play caller in Kansas City.
But with the opportunity in recent years to spread his wings and grow as a play caller, Bieniemy feels he’s better equipped the second time around to be a creative voice and provide input.
“You learn a lot about yourself – the good, the bad and the ugly – because all ideas are not bad ideas; we just need to be receptive to them,” Bieniemy said. “And so just the dynamic of working with people, learning how to communicate and articulating your plan and getting them to buy in.
“I think all that helps and I think any experience you’ve had, whether it’s good or bad, it’s all something that we can learn from. And so 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.”
There’s a lot for Bieniemy to absorb when considering the Chiefs’ struggles in 2025, which saw the team finishing 6-11 and missing the postseason for the first time since 2014.
Bieniemy, however, admitted he hasn’t had the chance to truly dive into what went right and wrong with the Chiefs’ 2025 season.
He said he drove to Kansas City on Tuesday, but he fully intends to go over everything in the coming days.
“Obviously, today is Day 1,” Bieniemy said. “But I want to make sure Day 2, 3, 4 and 5 that we hit the ground running.”
Meanwhile, it’s no secret that the Chiefs struggled with consistency in the run game last season.
Bieniemy, a former college and NFL running back, brings extensive experience in coaching the position group over the past two decades, including originally joining Reid’s staff as a running backs coach in 2013.
While it remains to be seen how much of a hands-on role that he will assume to energize the ground game in 2026, he made it clear that the goal is to improve within the Chiefs’ scheme.
“Have I been exposed to a number of run schemes? Yes,” Bieniemy said. “At the end of the day, we got to make sure that we’re doing what is best for us moving forward and I think that’s just the general overall plan.”