The Kansas City Chiefs have been without returning offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after his wife was reportedly shot by the couple’s son, Elijah Zion Bieniemy, back on July 26.
Speaking to the media today, Reid shared an update on his offensive coordinator and his wife, Mia Bieniemy.
Eric Bieniemy Watching Practices Remotely
For the moment, the 56-year old is watching a live practice feed of the offense going through drills, per The Athletic.
Bieniemy has even managed to do some one-on-one coaching of his own during this time, including handing rookie running back Emmett Johnson a coaching tip that he was lined up the wrong amount of yards under center during a drill.
This is not just any coaching year for Bieniemy either. After winning two Super Bowls with the Chiefs as offensive coordinator, spearheading what was consistently one of the league’s most powerful offenses, even after the departure of All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill, Bieniemy left to take charge of the Washington Commanders‘ offense, where he would be fully in control.
Unfortunately for him, that venture did not work out, and he lasted just a year in the OC role in Washington before being replaced by former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Bieniemy then spent a year as offensive coordinator at UCLA before becoming the running backs coach with the Chicago Bears in 2025, as he oversaw the rapid rise of rookie seventh round pick Kyle Monangai, who formed an excellent tandem with the similarly impressive veteran D’Andre Swift.
The pair combined to generate the league’s third best rushing offense, as the Bears averaged 142.3 yards per game. With Kansas City deciding to not renew the contract of ex-OC, Matt Nagy, under whom the offense had regressed over the past few years, Bieniemy was the obvious candidate to take over.
Now being back with the team with which he made his Bieniemy will come in with a point to prove that he can once again restore the offense to its former glory. When he left at the end of the 2022 season, the team were the #1 ranked offense. This past season that dipped to the way to #20 as Kansas City missed the playoffs for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
If the Chiefs offense rebounds in an impressive way, perhaps even a head coaching job may finally be on the horizon for Bieniemy.
Andy Reid Speaks Out on Eric Bieniemy Situation After Wife’s Shooting