The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t go outside the building for their offensive reset. They turned back to Eric Bieniemy, and after one week, the decision already looks a lot smarter than plenty of people wanted to admit.
That move came with plenty of pushback around the Chiefs community. With Matt Nagy’s contract expiring and the offense clearly sliding, a lot of fans wanted a clean break and fresh ideas. Instead, Kansas City leaned into the kind of loyalty Andy Reid’s staff has long been known for, bringing back a familiar voice rather than starting from scratch.
The timing made sense because the 2025 season had gone sideways. The Chiefs finished with their worst record in more than a decade and ended up with the ninth-worst record in football.
Injuries piled up late, but the offense was the bigger problem from start to finish. Kansas City struggled on the ground, lacked explosive plays, and never looked like a unit that could carry its share.
Bieniemy’s path back to Kansas City wasn’t exactly direct. Since leaving the Chiefs three years earlier, he had been the play-caller for the Washington Commanders, then moved on to UCLA before landing with the Bears as their running backs coach for the 2025 season.
That last stop mattered. Bieniemy helped DeAndre Swift put together the best season of his career and played a role in Chicago finishing third in rushing yards per game and per attempt.
That background fit what Kansas City needed. Bieniemy has always been tied to the running back room.
He played the position, was a second-round pick out of Colorado in 1991, and spent years coaching before joining the Chiefs. If the goal was to rebuild the run game, he looked like the obvious answer.
And the first game under his watch delivered immediate proof.
The Chiefs rolled to a 31-10 win in Week 1 and piled up 220 rushing yards. Kenneth Walker and Emmett Johnson completely changed the look of the ground attack, and the difference showed up right away. What had been a major weakness in 2025 suddenly looked like a strength.
But the change wasn’t only about scheme or production. Bieniemy has a reputation inside the organization for saying what needs to be said and demanding more from everybody in the building.
Players, coaches, and management have all described him as someone who makes people better at their jobs. In a room filled with names like Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce, that edge matters.
He also brings creativity. During his first stint in Kansas City, Reid and other coaches said Bieniemy would dig through tape from the 1900s looking for new ideas. That kind of imagination showed up again on Monday, including on the Chiefs’ final touchdown against the Broncos.
The offense itself looked different too. Kansas City was under center more than ever and adjusted its approach to fit the roster and the way the NFL keeps changing. After one week, the concerns about whether this would just be more of the same have quieted down.
The bigger takeaway is that the atmosphere inside the Chiefs facility seems to have changed with him. The competitive edge is back, the ideas are fresh, and the standard is clearly higher. Whatever the doubts were when Kansas City brought Bieniemy home, the early signs point to the Chiefs making the right call.
In Other News...
Chiefs Broadcast Sparked A Debate ESPN Probably Knew Was Coming
During ESPNs Monday Night Football coverage of the Chiefs-Broncos game, sideline reporter Laura Rutledge explained why Denver defender Jonathon Cooper was not available, noting that he is on the commissioners exempt list after two June arrests tied to domestic violence charges. It was the kind of in-game update that can quickly shift from routine availability news into something much heavier, especially on a stage as visible as a Chiefs game in prime time.
Former Broncos safety Justin Simmons later criticized ESPN for bringing up Coopers legal situation during the broadcast, while others pushed back and said the network was simply giving viewers context for his absence. For Kansas City fans watching an AFC West opponent unfold on the national stage, the episode became part of a broader debate over how broadcasters should handle player controversies when the game itself is still very much in front of them. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Secondary Gets A Timely Reunion With Bigger Implications
The Chiefs added a familiar name to their taxi squad after their Week 1 win, bringing cornerback Melvin Smith Jr. back into the fold. Smith had been on the Titans 53-man roster earlier, but after being waived and going unclaimed, he found his way back to Kansas City, where the team already knows what it is getting in terms of familiarity and fit.
Kansas City has not announced any corresponding roster move to make room for Smith on the practice squad, which leaves a small bit of roster housekeeping still unresolved. Even so, the return of a player with that kind of team context is the sort of quiet transaction that can matter later, especially for a secondary that always has to be ready for attrition over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Andy Reid Dug Deep For A Chiefs Touchdown Fans Didn't See Coming
For a Week 1 team still settling into the rhythm of a new season, Andy Reid reached way back to add something fresh to the Kansas City offense. The Chiefs coach put Patrick Mahomes and Justin Fields on the field together in a look few fans would have expected, then turned to a play concept that dates back to the 1930s and was brought back into the conversation by longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman. Kansas City studied old film to learn the design, then carried it onto the field and cashed in with a touchdown by Kenneth Walker.
It was the sort of wrinkle Reid can pull when he wants to keep a defense guessing, and it gave the Chiefs another reminder that the playbook does not always have to stay in the present tense. The Heisman look worked in the game, but it also left open a bigger question for opponents: if Kansas City is willing to dust off something this unusual in September, what else might Reid have tucked away for later? [Read more 🡒]