Washington Commanders hire Eric Bieniemy as their new offensive coordinator

The Washington Commanders are finalizing a multiyear deal to hire Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to the same position, multiple reports said Friday evening.

In addition to the coordinator role, Bieniemy will serve as Ron Rivera’s assistant head coach, NFL Network reported.

Bieniemy is coming off winning his second Super Bowl as the Chiefs’ coordinator. He worked on Andy Reid’s staff in Kansas City for 10 years, as running backs coach from 2013-17 before his promotion to offensive coordinator in 2018.

Bieniemy, who is Black, was passed over in the latest turn of the head-coaching carousel, though he interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts before that team hired Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. 

According to USA Today, Bieniemy interviewed for head-coaching vacancies 16 times with 15 NFL teams (including the New York Jets twice), with many feeling he had been unfairly passed over because of his race. 

Eric Bieniemy has interviewed 16 times for a head coach role but has never got a top job

Most recently, Bieniemy was passed over for the Arizona Cardinals job in favor of Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon (R), whose unit yielded 38 points to Bieniemy’s in Super Bowl LVII. Similarly, Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen (L) was picked to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts after Philly’s Super Bowl defeat

Under Bieniemy, the Chiefs ranked first in both total offense and scoring offense in 2022. They were first in both categories in 2018 and never ranked lower than sixth in the league in either statistic in the past five years.

Reid handled most of the play-calling duties for Kansas City, and the offense has flourished since Patrick Mahomes took over at quarterback. A day after the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 to win Super Bowl LVII, Reid told reporters it was possible Bieniemy could leave the team to find a bigger role.

‘Eric Bieniemy has been tremendous for us and I think he’s tremendous for the National Football League,’ Reid said. ‘I’m hoping he has an opportunity to go somewhere and do his thing, where he can run the show and be Eric Bieniemy.’

Bieniemy, 53, was an All-American running back for a Colorado team that won a national championship in 1990. He went on to play nine seasons in the NFL with the then-San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Eagles.

The Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner after the 2022 season and were in the market for his replacement. 

Washington had a top-10 defense but ranked 20th in total offense and 24th in scoring offense last season, and Rivera has said that 2022 fifth-round draft pick Sam Howell is the team’s No. 1 quarterback entering the offseason.

Bieniemy has helped KC climb to the top of the NFL & win two Super Bowl titles in four years