Eric Bieniemy could be considered for several head coaching gigs

Andy Reid is promoting Eric Bieniemy as a promising head coach prospect and the number of expected job openings could lead to a match.

The Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers have already opened up the doors for new business. Several other teams are expected to follow suit. When all is said and done on the carousel of coaching changes in the National Football League, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe polled experts who said as many as 10 teams could have a need for a new head coach

That’s good news for the chances of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to land a job.

The Chiefs offense hasn’t quite been the historic machine of last season, but it’s hard to argue with Bieniemy’s body of work as well as his experience next to Andy Reid, the Chiefs head coach. Reid’s coaching tree—that is, the abundance of current or former head coaches who learned from him—is second to none in the NFL. From Matt Nagy and Doug Pedersen in recent years to Ron Rivera and John Harbaugh in his earlier days, Reid’s not only an exemplary head coach but an incredible tutor for others to learn the ropes.

Already this fall, Bieniemy has been termed the favorite for the Washington Redskins opening created when the team fired Jay Gruden at mid-season. Bieniemy is no stranger to the job market as he made the rounds last year, including an opening chat with the New York Jets and further interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins. The Arizona Cardinals were also reportedly in on Bieniemy even as they ultimately went with Kliff Kingsbury, with whom they were linked all along.

Bieniemy’s strong early link to Washington might be complete conjecture on the part of the oddsmaker here, so it might not tell us as much as we think about his potential destination. There are a lot of interviews to come in the weeks ahead. That said, it bodes well for Bieniemy to be mentioned so early in conversations about top candidates.

Bieniemy was shut out the last time around despite the early interest. This year, however, Andy Reid has taken to being much more vocal in his support of Bieniemy’s readiness and the O.C. himself has another of knowledge and experience to bring to the job. It will be interesting to see how far he’s able to go this and what sort of offers, if any, materialize in the next few weeks.