Eric Bieniemy
Getty
Bears' head coach Ben Johnson offered high praise for Chiefs' offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy
After missing the playoffs in 2025, the Kansas City Chiefs have made it clear early in the offseason that they are not OK with how last season unfolded. Head coach Andy Reid has tweaked his coaching staff, with perhaps his most important move seeing him reunite with his former offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy.
After spending the 2025 campaign as a member of Ben Johnson‘s staff with the Chicago Bears, Bieniemy will reprise his role as Kansas City’s offensive coordinator in 2026. The Chiefs are quite familiar with Bieniemy, but Johnson’s recent comments about his work with the team’s running back room last season should only make fans more excited about his return.
Ben Johnson Gushes Over Eric Bieniemy
Pete Sweeney
Bears head coach Ben Johnson says he was “blown away” by Eric Bieniemy and the impact he had on the Chicago running back room and the offense as a whole. Specifically the seasons for D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
Bieniemy made a name for himself during his first stint with the Chiefs, which spanned from 2013 to 2022. After spending five seasons working as a running backs coach for Reid, Bieniemy was promoted to offensive coordinator, which is the role he would fill for the next five years. During his time in charge, Bieniemy helped Patrick Mahomes turn himself into arguably the best quarterback in the league.
In 2023, Bieniemy found his way to the Washington Commanders, where he worked as the team’s assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. He only lasted one season there, though, before moving to the college ranks, where he held the same position with the UCLA Bruins in 2024. In 2025, Bieniemy joined Johnson’s staff in Chicago before finding his way back to K.C.
Kansas City’s offense looks significantly different from what it was when Bieniemy left. The most important thing he has to do with the Chiefs involves getting their rushing attack back on track, but the good news for the team is that, according to Johnson, Bieniemy played a major role in helping the Bears develop a dominant one-two punch at running back with D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
“Bears head coach Ben Johnson says he was ‘blown away’ by Eric Bieniemy and the impact he had on the Chicago running back room and the offense as a whole. Specifically the seasons for D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai,” Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star shared in a post on X.
Chiefs Hoping Eric Bieniemy Can Help Offense Get Back on Track
Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy
GettyWhat is Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy bringing back in his return to the team?
While Johnson is lamenting the loss of Bieniemy, that should show the Chiefs just how lucky they are to have reunited with him. There’s no doubt the front office needs to do some work when it comes to revamping their offense, but with Bieniemy at the controls again, Kansas City has reason to feel good about the makeup of this group.
All eyes will be on Mahomes as he works his way back from a torn ACL he suffered late in the 2025 campaign, but assuming he can get back on the field in time for Week 1, there’s good reason to believe K.C. is poised for a bounce-back year in 2026. If Bieniemy can have the same impact on the team’s rushing attack as he had with the Bears last season, that will go a long way towards helping the Chiefs reclaim their status as one of the top Super Bowl contenders in the league.