It’s no secret why Eric Bieniemy departed the Kansas City Chiefs for the Washington Commanders this offseason. He wants to be a head coach. And after receiving multiple interviews in the past, Bieniemy has yet to land a head coaching opportunity.
After 10 seasons in Kansas City, the final five as offensive coordinator, Bieniemy felt he needed to get out of the shadow of head coach Andy Reid, who received most of the credit, along with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, for the Chiefs’ success on offense.
Washington embraced Bieniemy. In addition to hiring him as the offensive coordinator, head coach Ron Rivera gave Bieniemy the assistant head coach title. And since Bieniemy’s arrival, he’s been allowed to implement changes to practice routines that coaches and players have fully accepted.
The Commanders and Bieniemy are in a honeymoon period right now. However, players are genuinely excited about playing for Bieniemy. If Washington’s offensive line improved this offseason, there’s a good chance the Commanders make the playoffs in 2023, which would be beneficial to Bieniemy.
Paul Domowitch of The 33rd Team recently named seven coordinators who will be head coaching candidates in 2024. Bieniemy was one of those seven.
The Commanders finished 24th in scoring last season. The top two quarterbacks on their depth chart are 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell, who has one career start, and Jacoby Brissett. If Bieniemy can somehow manage to make Washington’s offense respectable, his head-coaching stock should rise significantly. He’ll get the credit.
“He’s going to have a chance to put his own stamp on that offense,’’ Baldinger said. “If he can turn them into a top-10 offense with Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett or somebody else, it’s going to be hard to ignore him.’’
“I love people that bet on themselves and take the more challenging path,’’ Tannenbaum said. “In Kansas City, he had to fight the stigma of how much of it was coach Reid and how much of it was him. I can’t say enough about how much his decision to leave Kansas City speaks to his confidence and belief in himself. If Washington makes any kind of improvement, I think he’ll be in demand.’’
If Bieniemy helps improve Washington’s offense, there’s no way he’s not a head coach in 2024. Right? With a new owner coming to Washington soon, could Bieniemy be a contender to replace Rivera if the new owner wants to pick its own head coach?
