Eric Bieniemy Returns to Kansas City: What His Rehire Means for the Chiefs’ Offense in 2026
After a year away from Kansas City, Eric Bieniemy is back in red and gold. The former offensive coordinator - and two-time Super Bowl winner during his previous stint with the Chiefs - is set to reprise his old role for the 2026 season. This move comes after a season with the Chicago Bears as their running backs coach, and prior to that, a pair of stops coordinating offenses at both the NFL and college level with the Washington Commanders and UCLA Bruins.
Now, he returns to a Chiefs team that’s looking for answers on offense - and Bieniemy just might be the one to help them find them.
Let’s break down what his return means on three key fronts: offensive structure, running back development, and accountability.
1. A Needed Shift in Offensive Identity: Under Center Plays Could Be the Key
Kansas City’s offense in 2025 was, to put it bluntly, stuck in neutral. The team leaned heavily on shotgun formations, and that predictability limited what Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes could do.
The numbers tell the story: the Chiefs ran just 196 plays from under center all season - 30th in the league. That’s a stark contrast to the Chicago Bears, who ran 519 such plays, ranking fourth.
What’s important here isn’t just the volume - it’s the results. The Bears averaged 98.6 rushing yards per game on under-center looks, good for third in the NFL.
The Chiefs? Just 38.1 yards per game, which landed them 27th.
The Bears also thrived through the air in those sets, ranking fifth with 168.2 passing yards per game.
Bieniemy soaked up that experience in Chicago under head coach Ben Johnson, whose offensive creativity helped transform Detroit before arriving in the Windy City. Johnson’s influence - a blend of power running and play-action passing - clearly rubbed off, and now Bieniemy brings those modern wrinkles back to Kansas City.
Expect a more balanced, less predictable Chiefs offense in 2026. That starts with getting under center more often, opening up the run game and creating play-action opportunities that take advantage of Mahomes’ vision and arm talent.
Bieniemy knows the system, but he’s also evolved since his last stint. That’s exactly what this offense needs.
2. Running Back Room Rebuild: Bieniemy’s Specialty Comes Into Play
While Bieniemy is returning as offensive coordinator, don’t overlook his impact on the running backs - a position group he knows inside and out. The Chiefs haven’t named a new running backs coach yet after parting ways with both Todd Pinkston and assistant Mark DeLeone, but with Bieniemy in the building, the development of that unit is already in capable hands.
In 2025, Bieniemy helped guide Chicago’s backfield to one of its most productive seasons in recent memory. D’Andre Swift rushed for a career-high 1,087 yards and nine touchdowns, while rookie Kyle Monangai - a seventh-round pick - surprised everyone with 783 yards and five scores.
That kind of production doesn’t happen by accident. Bieniemy’s fingerprints were all over that success, from scheme fit to in-game adjustments.
As it stands, Kansas City’s running back room is thin. Brashard Smith showed flashes as a rookie but didn’t see much action. Dameon Pierce, once a promising back in Houston, finished the year on the Chiefs’ practice squad after a slow start to his career post-2022.
That leaves a clear opportunity - and a clear need - to reshape the backfield through free agency and the draft. Bieniemy’s track record suggests he’ll play a central role in identifying the right fits and getting the most out of whoever ends up in that room.
He’s done it before. Now he’ll be asked to do it again.
3. Restoring Accountability: Back to the Championship Standard
For all the Xs and Os, sometimes what a team needs most isn’t a new playbook - it’s a new mindset. Over the last two seasons, the Chiefs’ offense has lacked the sharpness and discipline that defined their Super Bowl runs. In 2025, that inconsistency became a theme: promising drives derailed by penalties, turnovers, or simple execution errors.
That’s where Bieniemy’s return could be most impactful.
During his first run as OC, Bieniemy was known for his attention to detail and no-nonsense approach. He demanded accountability from everyone - from stars like Mahomes to the last man on the depth chart. That culture helped Kansas City win it all in 2019 and again in 2022.
Since his departure, that edge has dulled. The team parted ways with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy after three up-and-down seasons, and while the issues weren’t all coaching-related, the drop in execution was hard to ignore.
Bieniemy brings back that old-school mentality - fundamentals first, no shortcuts, and every player held to the same standard. That’s the kind of leadership this young group of skill players needs, especially with Mahomes expected to return early in the 2026 season.
Reid and Bieniemy have always worked well together, and now they’ll be tasked with getting this offense back to its championship level. That means cleaning up the mental mistakes, tightening the details, and building trust in the system again.
Bottom Line: A Familiar Face, A Fresh Start
Eric Bieniemy isn’t just a familiar name - he’s a proven winner in Kansas City, and his return comes at a time when the Chiefs need a reset on offense. With a fresh perspective gained from his time in Chicago, Washington, and UCLA, Bieniemy is positioned to bring both innovation and structure back to the Chiefs’ sideline.
If Kansas City is going to reclaim its place atop the AFC, it starts with getting the offense back in rhythm. Bieniemy’s return might just be the spark they need.