Getty Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
New Washington Commanders assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has officially plucked a player from his former team.
Former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marcus Kemp is signing with the Commanders, according to Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest on March 3.
Free agent WR Marcus Kemp is following his offensive coordinator to Washington. He signed with the Commanders this morning, per source.
Kemp is reunited in Washington with Eric Bieniemy, the offensive coordinator with whom he’s spent most of his career.
Kemp, 26, entered the NFL undrafted out of Hawaii in 2017. He signed with Kansas City in May of that year. Since then, Kemp has remained with the Chiefs outside of a short stint with the Miami Dolphins in December 2020 and a one-month stay with the New York Giants from July to August 2022, according to Pro Football Reference. He has been active for a total of 44 games during his career and has caught 4 passes on 8 targets for 42 yards.
Most of Kemp’s damage with the Chiefs has been as a special teamer. In 2022, he played 72% of Kansas City’s special teams snaps and had 4 tackles. During his five seasons with the Chiefs, he played a total of 866 special teams snaps.
Eric Bieniemy Accepting New Challenge With Commanders
The Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner on January 10. That came after Washington’s offense finished the regular season ranked 22nd in the NFL in passing yards (3,783), 21st in total touchdowns scored (35), and were -5 in turnover ratio, which was tied for sixth-worst in the NFL, per ESPN.
The quarterback position is the primary issue on offense for the Commanders, but certainly not the only issue. After trading multiple draft picks to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for Carson Wentz in March 2022, Washington released Wentz on February 27. Now, the Commanders will move forward with second-year quarterback Sam Howell and Taylor Heinicke as the players that will compete for the starting quarterback job next season.
“I don’t like being comfortable. I’m about accepting challenges moving forward,” Bieniemy said on February 23 during his introductory press conference with the Commanders regarding his departure from Kansas City.
Eric Bieniemy Breaks Silence on Leaving Chiefs
During his first press conference as a member of Washington’s coaching staff, Eric Bieniemy began by reflecting on his 10 seasons in Kansas City.
“First off, let me say this — it was an amazing 10 years having an opportunity to work for the Chiefs organization,” Bieniemy said. “It goes without saying, I’d like to thank Clark Hunt and the whole entire Hunt family. I’d like to like Mark Donovan, our team president with the Kansas City Chiefs. Brett Veach and his staff, and of course, Coach Andy Reid.
“It’s been an amazing journey getting to this point and having the success that we’ve had over the years. But now it’s time for a new challenge and looking at these guys up front, Eric Bieniemy is fired up. He’s fired up and you guys will figure that out real soon.”
Bieniemy leaves the Chiefs as a two-time Super Bowl champion that coordinated an offense that led the league in yards (7,032) and points scored (496) during the 2022 season, according to ESPN. The quarterback of his offense, Patrick Mahomes, was the league’s MVP for the second time in his career last season after throwing a league-high 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns.