The Kansas City Chiefs have lost another member of their coaching staff.
The Baltimore Ravens Twitter account announced the news, as former Chiefs running backs coach Greg Lewis was hired by the AFC rival to coach their wide receivers. Lewis does have some experience in this regard, coaching the KC wideouts from 2017 through 2020. He later transitioned to the RB room for the past two seasons.
We have hired Greg Lewis as our WR coach.
Along with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid have now lost multiple staff members on the offensive side.
Greg Lewis Helped Develop Tyreek Hill & Isiah Pacheco, ‘Beloved’ by Chiefs & HC Andy Reid
Upon hearing the news, Arrowhead Pride media member Pete Sweeney wrote that “Lewis was beloved by Reid, his fellow coaches and players for his humorous manner and drive to win.”
The former NFL wide receiver was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles organization back when Reid was the coach. Lewis actually played for Philly for the majority of his career, entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and sticking around with the Eagles through 2008.
He was mostly a role player that generally never surpassed 350 receiving yards, although he did have one campaign in 2005 where he caught 48 passes for 561 yards and a touchdown alongside Reid and Donovan McNabb.
Lewis has been much more successful as a coach. With the Chiefs, he coached Tyreek Hill to “career highs in yards (1,183) and receiving touchdowns (8)” in 2017. Lewis’ coaching profile states that “overall, the receivers combined for 2,285 yards and 12 touchdowns under Lewis’ tutelage” that year.
The following season, Hill smashed that 2017 high with 1,479 yards under Lewis — a mark he had not broken until his 2022 explosion with the Miami Dolphins. He also “mentored rookie WR Mecole Hardman [in 2019,] who ranked first in the NFL in yards per reception among all wide receivers with at least 20 receptions (20.7).”
Lewis then helped Hill change his game and become more of a possession receiver in 2020 with 100-plus receptions for the first time in his career. As running backs coach, not much changed for the impactful assistant, pulling career highs out of Darrel Williams in 2021 and turning Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon into a dynamic one-two punch in 2022.
Lewis also won two Super Bowl rings with Kansas City and unfortunately, the Chiefs will be forced to replace him over the offseason.
Greg Lewis Almost Joined Eric Bieniemy in Washington
Although it’s unclear why, it felt like Lewis was always destined to leave the coaching staff in 2023.
Last month on February 22, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that “the [Washington] Commanders have expressed a high level of interest in hiring Greg Lewis to a top spot on new assistant head coach/OC Eric Bieniemy’s staff, per sources.”
The #Commanders have expressed a high level of interest in hiring Greg Lewis to a top spot on new assistant head coach/OC Eric Bieniemy’s staff, per sources. Lewis, the former NFL WR, has coached multiple positions in Kansas City and is well regarded.
When asked about the possibility of Lewis following Bieniemy to Washington, Coach Reid responded: “I don’t know exactly where Greg is with things.”
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor added that Reid confirmed Lewis’ interview with the Commanders.
Technically, the Chiefs did pass on Lewis for the offensive coordinator role after Bieniemy’s departure. The circumstances are a bit odd, considering Matt Nagy left and came back — retaking his old job — but it’s still worth mentioning. A lot of times, successful coaches like Lewis take positions elsewhere when they’re passed up for a promotion.
That has not been reported as fact in this scenario, but it’s not uncommon either. Expect a coaching hire or promotion in the coming weeks, as Big Red restructures his offensive staff after a couple of key departures in 2023.
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Chiefs Coach Skips Town, Joins AFC Rival