The Kansas City Chiefs brought back a popular face with former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy returning in the same role for the 2026 season. Bieniemy always wanted a head coaching job, but one never opened up. He kept downgrading after KC, going from the Washington Commanders to the UCLA Bruins, and in 2025, he was a running backs coach with the Chicago Bears.
Fast forward to 2026, and Bieniemy is back in a good spot. To restore the good vibes, Andy Reid is turning to one of the most trustworthy assistants in his career and saying goodbye to Matt Nagy. He shouldn't stop with the Bieniemy hiring.
Duce Staley was not only a trustworthy position coach for Reid in the early 2010s, when the Philadelphia Eagles were prone to disappointment in the big game but nearly always featured an explosive offense, but he was also Reid's first running back in his head coaching career.
Staley was recently let go as part of the house-clearing of Kevin Stefanski's Cleveland Browns staff. He's on the market, and his work with Quinshon Judkins makes him an attractive option for more than just his relationship with Reid.
Still, that familiarity, with the end likely being nigh for Travis Kelce after next season, likely causing emotions to run high around the franchise following the first sorely disappointing season in Kansas City for quite some time, could propel the team to do special things. The running game needs a facelift, and while Bieniemy will oversee all of it, Reid can have a trusted confidant working in the backfield to get the RB room to where it needs to be to truly support Pat Mahomes.
Duce Staley an Option for Falcons and Bears
Staley is reportedly an option to follow Stefanski to the Atlanta Falcons, but the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson, who also has ties to Staley, are potential options, according to A to Z Sports’ Kole Noble.
“With former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski on his way to take over the head coaching role with the Atlanta Falcons, it’s entirely likely that some of his staff follows him. That includes long-time NFL running backs coach and former NFL running back Duce Staley,” Noble wrote.
“However, Johnson could give it a shot to lure him to Chicago. The two overlapped in Detroit when Johnson was the Lions’ tight end coach and Staley was the Lions’ assistant head coach/running backs coach under Dan Campbell. There’s familiarity there and Staley has a long track record of success.”
Staley was one of the Browns' lone bright spots, and as that franchise also looks to reinvent itself, the soon-to-be-51-year-old has a chance to advance up the ladder -- if his next job gives him that chance.
It just feels like Reid will give him the best shot possible in the Kingdom. The Chiefs will have a new backfield in 2026 and having Staley led that group is something they should consider.