Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy had a simple reaction when he first saw Patrick Mahomes working his way back from a serious knee injury.
“Welp, he’ll be ready.”
Bieniemy spoke with reporters on Friday, Sept. 11, days before Mahomes is expected to make his return in the Chiefs’ 2026 season opener against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football.”
Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 14. After watching the quarterback work through his recovery since returning to Kansas City, Bieniemy said he never doubted Mahomes’ determination to get back on the field.
“He’s been working his ass off since day one of this injury to make sure that he can get back and be a part of this,” Bieniemy told reporters. “So I am not shocked nor surprised that we’re here addressing this.”
Eric Bieniemy Reveals What He Saw From Patrick Mahomes Immediately
Bieniemy believes Mahomes’ competitive nature made his approach to rehabilitation predictable.
“But on top of that, you know, it shouldn’t be a story because of the nature of the kid and the competitor that he is,” Bieniemy continued. “All right. When I came into this building on that first day, I saw him working. I was like, ‘Welp, he’ll be ready.’”
Bieniemy returned to Kansas City as offensive coordinator in January, reuniting him with a quarterback he previously coached during some of the most successful seasons of Mahomes’ career.
During OTAs, Mahomes explained what Bieniemy immediately brought back to the Chiefs.
“There’s a standard that you have to practice with, and you have to play with,” Mahomes said, via Pro Football Talk. “He’s going to hold you to that standard, no matter who you are. From the first guy to the 90th guy right now, he’s going to hold you to that standard. I think that’s something — it’s hard to replicate, I think that’s the best way to say it.”
Mahomes said Bieniemy also brought new concepts to the offense while introducing younger Chiefs players to his demanding coaching style.
“He has brought in a lot of concepts and a lot of things that I’ve really liked that we’ve added in now,” Mahomes said. “It’s good to have him back in the building and having that energy back. A lot of these guys haven’t had an EB. They understand it and honestly, I think it’s been cool. They’re really receptive of it. Even though it’s hard, there’s hard days. They know why we’re doing it. You can see the guys, and they want to be great, and they want to be better than we were last year.”
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“Hopefully I’m done with questions about the leg.”
Now Bieniemy and Mahomes will begin their latest season together with considerable attention focused on the quarterback’s repaired knee.
Mahomes addressed his comeback Thursday and made it clear that he wants to move the conversation away from his injury.
“Hopefully I’m done with the questions about the leg,” Mahomes said as he left his news conference.
Mahomes also explained that he intends to protect himself without changing the competitive approach he brings to the field.
“I’m going to keep myself out of harm’s way like I always will, not try to take big hits and stuff like that, but I’m a competitor,” Mahomes said. “I signed up for this, and I’m going to go out there and play football. That’s how I’ve always rolled, no matter what it is, and that’s probably how I’ll be the rest of my career.”
The quarterback acknowledged the work required to reach this point but said he is ready to return to normal.
“It was a long process,” Mahomes said. “But we’re here now, and now I get to go out there and be myself.”
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