The Kansas City Chiefs' hunt to replace now-former offensive coordinator Matt Nagy is officially over. What's old will become new again in Kansas City, as the Chiefs are hiring Chicago Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy back to the role that he held from 2018 to 2022, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, solving a massive piece of the offseason puzzle.
Of course, Bieniemy isn't coming alone to K.C. Shortly before Bieniemy's return was announced, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Chad O'Shea has been hired as the Chiefs' new wide receivers coach. The newly-hired duo's careers overlapped as members of the Minnesota Vikings' staff from 2006 to 2008, making it clear that head coach Andy Reid isn't the only one who appreciates having a familiar face around.
O'Shea, who was a Chiefs volunteer assistant in 2003, has had quite the career, which includes winning a trio of Super Bowl rings. Although that's quite the resume to have, his arrival isn't good news for everyone, including WR Jalen Royals.
Chad O'Shea's Hiring Might Not Help with Jalen Royals' Chiefs Future
The Chiefs' offense faced scrutiny for various reasons this season, with one of the biggest being Jalen Royals' usage. With Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy's production taking a step back, Kansas City fans hoped to see Nagy & Co. find more ways to involve the 2025 NFL draft's 133rd overall selection, especially with there not being much to lose in an already-lost season.
Instead of allowing the ex-Utah State WR to prove his worth, Royals was only used in seven games, spending only 86 snaps on offense (12.3 per game) and another 52 on special teams. Unfortunately, he didn't take advantage of his limited opportunities, recording two catches for four yards and just one kickoff return for 30 yards, indicating that he has some growing to do.
Some may point to O'Shea's Patriots stint as a reason to be excited for his arrival, but even that comes with flaws. He had the benefit of having Tom Brady throwing to his receivers, which can hide a lot of the unit's shortcomings (Chiefs fans know this as well as anyone, see: Patrick Mahomes). Julian Edelman was the only WR the Patriots drafted during O'Shea's run that ended up becoming a legitimate contributor, as a lot of damage in the passing game relied on the Brady-Rob Gronkowski connection.
Sure, the Patriots also had Wes Welker for a chunk of that time, but he already had his first 1,000-yard season the year before O'Shea showed up. More concerning is that O'Shea hasn't had nearly the same level of success since leaving New England after the 2018 season. He lasted one season as the Miami Dolphins' OC — a year where they had the 25th-worst-ranked offense — before joining the Browns.
Unfortunately, his time in Cleveland further proves that O'Shea might not be the right coach to help with Royals' development. After all, it's not as if the 53-year-old coach successfully developed any wideouts during his five seasons as the Browns' WRs coach and passing game coordinator. Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy are the only standout wideouts Cleveland had during that stretch, and both were proven playmakers before joining the Browns.
There's no taking his Super Bowl rings away from him, but it's obvious that O'Shea has been a beneficiary of circumstance in his career. That isn't to say that he can't find success with the Chiefs, but his lackluster track record when it comes to developing WRs can't be ignored, especially if the front office and coaching staff want Royals to take a huge Year 2 leap.
Racking up 1,914 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns on 126 catches in his final two years at Utah State, Royals' talents and playmaking potential are clear. The Chiefs need to put him with a WR coach who can make the most of his skills and put him in a position to succeed.
O'Shea could be that guy, but he almost very well might not be. Only time will tell if the Chiefs' latest hiring is a good thing for Royals, but so far, it doesn't look promising.