KC Chiefs: Eric Bieniemy already top head coaching candidate

KANSAS CITY, MO - DECEMBER 09: Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy smiles as he walks off the field in the Chiefs' 27-24 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium on December 9, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images) /

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Head coach Pat Shurmur of the New York Giants (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

NFC Teams to Target Eric Bieniemy

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have fallen on hard times since utterly collapsing against the Patriots in the Super Bowl a couple of season ago. Since that season, Dan Quinn has a regular season record of only 17-16 while going 1-1 in the postseason.

Atlanta missed the playoffs last year for the first time since 2015, then opened this season by getting walloped by the Vikings. Things aren’t so peachy in Georgia.

Carolina Panthers

Ron Rivera, one of the coaches from the Reid Coaching Tree, just started his ninth season at the helm of the Carolina Panthers. Since his second season with the team, the Panthers have done this weird thing where they’re bad one season and then good the next.

Last year they were bad, falling from 11-5 to 7-9. Perhaps more importantly, Rivera has failed to win a playoff game since the 2015 NFC Championship Game.

Detroit Lions

Personally, I feel that the Lions are going to give Matt Patricia (with whom I evidently share a birthday) plenty of time to “change the culture” in Detroit as the team metamorphosizes into the Midwestern New England.

But I’ve read a lot about how Patricia, only in his second season with the Lions, may already be on the dreaded hot seat. If that’s the case, why not look for an up-and-coming offensive-minded head coach to pair with Matthew Stafford?

New York Giants

Like with the Panthers, if Bieniemy landed with the Giants, he’d be replacing another branch of the Reid Coaching Tree. Pat Shurmur’s time in New York has seemed doomed since the beginning, and it’s not looking any better one week into his second season.

He’s (probably) coaching for his job while he should (probably) be grooming Daniel Jones, the No. 6 pick in the last year’s draft out of Duke. It’s one of those ugly damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don’t situations that could open the door for Bieniemy.

Washington Redskins

This may be the first job that opens up in 2019. Jay Gruden is 35-45-1 since taking over prior to the 2014 season with just one season (2015) in which his team won more than eight games. Unless Case Keenum turns into a superstar, Washington isn’t going anywhere.

Like with the Giants, the team has a young quarterback–Dwayne Haskins, the No. 15 pick out of Ohio State–that Bieniemy could groom.

Except, don’t go to Washington, Eric. That franchise is the worst.

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