Cleveland Browns are Eric Bieniemy’s only head coaching shot opening

Nearly every single team with a head coaching opening this offseason wanted an interview with Eric Bieniemy but now the only shot left on the table is the Cleveland Browns.

If the carousel for head coaching openings in the National Football League is akin to a game of musical chairs, Eric Bieniemy is in real danger of having nowhere to sit when the music stops. This would be the second such occurrence in a row.

For the last week, Bieniemy, who serves as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, has been a hot coaching commodity. Even as far back as October when the Washington Redskins fired Jay Gruden, Bieniemy was considered the favorite to eventually get the job—that is, until the market shifted and Ron Rivera was made available by the Carolina Panthers.

From there, Bieniemy also earned interest and subsequent interviews from the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Carolina Panthers. The only team with a head coach opening this offseason that didn’t interview Bieniemy was the Dallas Cowboys. Yet despite the parade of interest, the Giants went with Joe Judge of the New England Patriots, the Panthers with Baylor’s Matt Rhule and the Browns—well, they’re the only ones left still deciding.

Bieniemy was left standing at this same spot last year as he watched four teams hold reported interest hire four other head coaching candidates. Bieniemy returned to K.C. to add a second year to his resume as the team’s O.C., and he’ll add a third if the Browns decide to go with Patriots O.C. Josh McDaniels or Minnesota Vikings O.C. Kevin Stefanski instead.

While the door is not shut on this offseason—the Browns and Bieniemy have mutual interest and no decision has been made public yet—it’s going to raise questions if Bieniemy comes back to K.C. Why are teams passing him over? What more does he have to learn or prove? What are others showing in the interview rooms that he is not? And why is Andy Reid‘s coaching tree being ignored when the history has shown itself to be so fruitful?

Here’s hoping the Browns pounce on the opportunity in front of them and we’re able to congratulate Bieniemy instead in the next few days.