(Getty) Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy
Update:The NFL has approved the proposal to reward teams for developing minority coaches and front office executives who become head coaches and GMs elsewhere, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The Kansas City Chiefs improved to 8-1 on Sunday afternoon with a nail-biting 33-31 win over the Carolina Panthers, thanks in part to Patrick Mahomes’ 372 yards passing and four touchdowns and 19 combined catches by Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. With offensive architects Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy in the fold, the defending Super Bowl champions appear well-suited to defend their title this season.
Bieniemy, the team’s third-year offensive coordinator, is also one of the most sought after future head coaches in the NFL. After being passed over during the past two hiring cycles, the 51-year-old ex-running back has already been linked to the Houston Texans’ job after this season. Bieniemy’s inevitable transition represents one of the few obvious opportunities to elevate a qualified minority coach to the top of the head coaching ranks.
According to Peter King of NBC Sports, NFL owners are scheduled to vote on a new proposal on Tuesday that could have positive implications for the Chiefs. In a string of tweets on Saturday night, King outlined the concept which would attempt to address the lack of non-interim minority head coaches and general managers across the league.
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At the virtual NFL meeting Tues, owners are likely to vote on a measure to address the paucity of non-interim minority coaches (currently 4) and GMs (2). New proposal would reward a team for developing a minority head coach or GM, but would not reward a team that hires one.— Peter King (@peter_king) November 8, 2020
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Per the resolution, the team losing the coach or GM would get third-round Compensatory Picks in next 2 drafts, if the coach or GM had been with the original team for at least 2 years.— Peter King (@peter_king) November 8, 2020
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For example: Texans hire KC offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who is Black, as head coach in early ‘21. KC would get third-round Compensatory Picks in next 2 drafts.— Peter King (@peter_king) November 8, 2020
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Only problem with the rule, as I see it, is it adds no motivation for the hiring team to pick a Black coach. I guess it could motivate teams to put minority assistants/scouts in big positions, to lure teams to look at them. We'll see. Measure has a good chance to pass.— Peter King (@peter_king) November 8, 2020
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Compensatory Picks would come at end of third round. So, in the KC case, losing Bieniemy would net them somewhere around the 100th pick in next two drafts.— Peter King (@peter_king) November 8, 2020
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Could Chiefs Surpass 10 Draft Picks in 2021?
Additional Day 2 draft capital would be a huge advantage to Kansas City, especially considering that NFL teams are now allowed to trade compensatory selections to move up and down the board as needed. As of writing, the Chiefs are slated to have eight picks in the 2021 NFL Draft:
Offloading RB DeAndre Washington and a 2021 seventh-round pick to the Dolphins at the trade deadline netted Kansas City a sixth-rounder, while the team is also projected to receive a pair of fifth-round compensatory selections for the losses of DB Kendall Fuller and DE Emmanuel Ogbah in free agency last offseason, per Over The Cap.
If the new proposal is approved and effective immediately, the Chiefs would stand to gain a potential top-100 pick at the end of Round 3, bringing their team total to nine picks in 2021, plus an additional third-rounder in 2022.
Andy Reid Provides Injury Update After Week 9
Following Sunday’s win, Reid opened his postgame press conference with an update on the health of multiple players who came up injured versus Carolina. The most detrimental of the group was DE Taco Charlton, who suffered a significant lower leg injury, according to the Chiefs’ head coach.
“Taco Charlton, it looks like he’s got a fracture on his lower leg there, so we’ll get more information on that tomorrow,” said Reid.
#Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters post-game that pass-rusher Taco Charlton has a fracture in his lower leg. He’ll be placed on Injured Reserve.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 8, 2020
A confirmed fracture would very likely end the season for the ex-Cowboys pass rusher who signed a one-year deal to join Kansas City on May 2.
Reid also announced injuries to backup RT Mike Remmers (ribs), who was filling in for starting RT Mitchell Schwartz, plus CBs Antonio Hamilton (strained hamstring) and Rashad Fenton (sprained ankle). No recovery timetables have been announced for any of the ailing Chiefs, but the team is expected to provide another round of updates early this week.
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