The Kansas City Chiefs seemingly brought back Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator for the vibes. It didn't seem to be a football move aimed at shaking up the team's play-calling under head coach Andy Reid, but rather about bringing in a familiar face after Matt Nagy's tenure ended on a whimper.
But just because Bieniemy is back in Kansas City doesn't mean that Reid's mindset will change as much as Chiefs fans hope.
"I still enjoy calling plays,” Reid said, via A to Z Sports' Charles Goldman on Monday. “But what I do is I also, I’m not afraid to delegate and get opinions from people... we do this jointly. I keep it open, and I’ve felt that that’s the best way."
Reid seemed to suggest that Bieniemy will be overseeing the run game, while he continues to be the team's passing game coordinator.
“I want guys to contribute. I want them to work hard, be an expert in their area, as and then cumulatively in all areas. So I’ve always mixed and matched there, I guess I’d tell you, and it’s seemed to have been fairly productive," Reid said.
Chiefs' Offensive Status Quo Won't Change Despite Eric Bieniemy's Return
Reid doesn't want any grand changes to the offense. He wants to restore the feeling the Chiefs had when the Kingdom was rocking. Functionally, he's looking for a return to form for an RB room that didn't deliver the goods in 2025 and hasn't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Kareem Hunt during the 2017 season; the campaign that helped Bieniemy earn the role he's in now for the first time.
Bieniemy has long been in line to get a head coaching job, but all he could land was other OC jobs with the Washington Commanders, which didn't go well, and the UCLA Bruins, which somehow went even worse. An RB coach run with the Chicago Bears rehabbed his value enough to make him an exciting re-hire in Kansas City.
At the same time, it's hard to imagine that Bieniemy can effectively show what he learned in the Windy City if Reid is still calling the majority of shots. It also means that the Chiefs' offense might look and feel similar to how it did when it averaged a lethargic 21.3 points per game in 2025 (21st).
Reid won't give Bieniemy the keys to the offense. Other NFL franchises were skeptical of doing the same, with his two years in charge in the nation's capital and in UCLA's first season in the Big Ten doing nearly irreparable damage to his reputation.
But even if Reid is preventing Bieniemy from repeating history, one has to wonder what the point was to even hire him in the first place. The Chiefs need someone who'll bring fresh ideas to the table, not someone whose hands will be tied before Week 1 even kicks off.
This second chance could've been a chance for redemption for Reid, but he's defaulting back to factory settings for the 2026 season. We'll see if bringing back Bieniemy gives the Chiefs similar results to what he saw in his last K.C. run, or if the offense needs more than Nagy's exit to turn things around.