Eric Bieniemy looked like he might still have a chance at the lone head coaching vacancy left in the NFL. Now it looks as if even that opportunity has been removed from the table, leaving the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator on the outside looking in once again.
A report has emerged that the Houston Texans are down to their final two candidates to replace Bill O’Brien as the team’s on-field leader. Those finalists are Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach David Culley. Both men are the only candidates who have been interviewed twice, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
When the Texans were first beginning their search for O’Brien’s replacement, Bieniemy was considered the heavy favorite to win the job. Deshaun Watson went on record with positive sentiments about playing for Bieniemy as a potential head coach, and sports betting sites had Bieniemy as the most likely candidate to win. However, just like every other head coaching opportunity, when the dust settled, Bieniemy wasn’t even one of the finalists.
Earlier this offseason, Bieniemy interviewed for a number of head coaching positions including the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, Detroit Lions and more. Those interviews came on the heels of a handful of other openings in the last two offseason. The Jets have even interviewed Bieniemy twice only to go with Adam Gase in 2018 and Robert Saleh this winter.
The Texans are down to two candidates and neither are Eric Bieniemy.
Bieniemy has been with the Chiefs for the last 8 seasons, going back to when he joined Andy Reid’s coaching staff as the running backs coach. From there, he was promoted to offensive coordinator when Matt Nagy left to become head coach of the Chicago Bears. Since his installment as the team’s O.C., the Chiefs have been one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses—certainly a product of also having Patrick Mahomes under center at quarterback—and teams have been interested enough to bring him in for an interview. At this point, however, it’s outrageous that one team hasn’t went all in on Bieniemy given his track record and the testimony of his current boss and Chiefs players.
At this point, it seems clear that Bieniemy will return for a ninth season with the Chiefs in 2021.