Tag: eric bieniemy

Another former Commanders OC lands a new job

Washington’s last two offensive coordinators land new jobs in back-to-back days.

Scott Turner spent three seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders under Ron Rivera. After the 2022 season, Rivera fired Turner in an attempt to take the heat off himself and made the ill-fated decision to replace him with former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

We know how that ended for all involved. As for Turner, he quickly landed the Las Vegas Raiders as their pass game coordinator, where he remained into the 2024 season before a promotion to interim offensive coordinator when Luke Getsy was fired.

After the season, Las Vegas fired head coach Antonio Pierce, meaning Turner was looking for work again. On Saturday, the man who replaced Turner in Washington, Bieniemy, landed back in the NFL with the Chicago Bears as their new running backs coach.

On Sunday, it was Turner’s turn. The New York Jets hired Turner as their new pass game coordinator under new head coach Aaron Glenn. Turner gives the Jets an experienced voice for first-time coordinator Tanner Engstrand.

During his three seasons in Washington, Turner’s offenses were ranked 30th, 21st and 20th in total offense. The Commanders were even worse in Bieniemy’s lone year.

 

Former Commanders offensive coordinator is back in the NFL

Eric Bieniemy is back in the NFL.

Eric Bieniemy will return to Northwest Stadium in Landover next season.

Bieniemy, who was the offensive coordinator for the Commanders in one of the most forgettable and regrettable seasons in recent franchise history, has been hired by the Chicago Bears as their new running backs coach.

The former NFL running back played for the Chargers, Bengals and Eagles during his nine-year career from 1991-99.

The Kansas City Chiefs, having determined they would not re-sign Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator following the 2022 season, decided to bring back Matt Nagy to lead the offense.

So, then-Commanders head coach Ron Rivera swept in when no one else was making an offer and made Bieniemy his offensive coordinator.

During training camp, some unnamed respected veteran players came to Rivera to talk about Bieniemy. Rivera had already lost control of Bieniemy. Bieniemy didn’t help his case in his weekly press conferences, talking about how he was old school, wouldn’t change, etc.

He then had inexperienced quarterback Sam Howell leading the NFL in dropbacks during the 4-13 2023 season. To make matters worse, Bieniemy was 32nd in the NFL using play-action to help his struggling young quarterback.

NFL analyst Warren Sharp spoke directly regarding Bieniemy’s unproductive season, “They have no disguises to the defense; they don’t do anything to help their young quarterback. The defense is already playing the pass…as much as we know that Sam Howell struggled and is now gone, Eric Bieniemy did absolutely nothing to help Sam Howell, in my opinion.”

Bieniemy spent last season as UCLA’s offensive coordinator, and he was let go after one season, something his agent disputed. Ben Johnson, the Bears’ new head coach, hired him to coach the running backs.

Previously, Bieniemy served as an NFL running backs coach for the Vikings (2006-10) and the Chiefs (2013-17).

REPORT: Bears hiring former Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy

According to a report, the Chicago #Bears are set to hire former Kansas City #Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy to be their running backs coach.

According to a report from FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz on Saturday, the Chicago Bears are hiring former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as their new running backs coach.

Bieniemy spent nine years as a running backs coach and offensive coordinator with the Chiefs before moving to the nation’s capital to become the offensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the Washington Commanders for the 2023 season.

After his stint with the Commanders, the two-time Super Bowl champion was named offensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the UCLA Bruins but was unfortunately relieved of his duties after the 2024 season.

Bieniemy was rumored to be a potential replacement for the Chiefs if Kansas City’s current offensive coordinator, Matt Nagy, sought a new position with another team in the offseason.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson is sure to benefit greatly from Bieniemy’s experience and leadership in his first season with Chicago.

This Saints head coach candidate had a 9-hour long interview for the spot

One of the Saints’ interviews with a head coaching candidate ran a whopping nine hours. Mike Kafka clearly wants the job:

The New Orleans Saints are no stranger to long head coaching interviews, as during the last coaching search they interviewed Eric Bieniemy for eight hours. However, they seem to have one-upped themselves this offseason, as their interview with New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka lasted nine hours. This wasn’t a cursory meeting to satisfy the Rooney Rule like the New England Patriots got away with. Kafka is a real candidate for the job.

NFL head coach interviews are not some small thing and typically last a substantial chunk of time, which makes sense. Nine hours is hard to fathom though, that’s longer than an entire standard work shift of just exclusively interviewing for a position. While to this point it has signified clear interest as he is still in the running as one of the four candidates, who knows if it ends up meaning he will be the head coach.

Kafka has spent the last few days working at the Senior Bowl, as the head coach of the National Team for that event. This has given him the opportunity to coach up some of the best players in the 2025 NFL draft class, and gain some insight on who he may be interested in drafting if he were to be the head coach.

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Patriots reportedly interviewed big-name OC before hiring Josh McDaniels

Eric Bieniemy was reportedly a top offensive coordinator candidate for the Patriots

The New England Patriots reportedly interviewed former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy before deciding on Josh McDaniels to take over the offensive play-calling, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Bieniemy was most recently the offensive coordinator and associate head coach for the UCLA Bruins. However, he is most recognized for his work under Andy Reid as the offensive coordinator for the Chiefs.

He helped the organization win two Super Bowl championships during his time with the team. He also spent time working under Ron Rivera with the Washington Commanders in 2023.

The Patriots officially announced the hiring of McDaniels on January 22 in one of Mike Vrabel’s first major moves as head coach.

Bieniemy would have been an intriguing addition to a Patriots coaching staff that is stocked with talent. He has a championship pedigree, and he would have been paired with a promising young quarterback in Drake Maye.

Nevertheless, the Patriots’ coaching staff as currently constructed is well-positioned for the future.

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UCLA football hires former Oregon passing game coordinator

UCLA adds a familiar face to the coaching staff.

The UCLA coaching staff has seen some significant turnover since the end of the Bruins’ first season in the Big Ten.

After parting ways with offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the Bruins tapped former Indiana co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Suneri to head the offense.

This week, the Bruins added a familiar face to their offensive coaching staff.

UCLA hired former Oregon passing coordinator Demetrice Martin to lead the Bruins’ pass game and the secondary. Martin, a two-way player in college, playing receiver and cornerback at Michigan State, returns to Westwood, where he spent the 2012-2017 seasons.

In his coaching career, Martin made notable stops at USC, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Arizona and returned to his hometown of Pasadena, California, to reunite with the Bruins.

Though Martin will have a lot on his plate, with the unusual task of coaching two sides of the ball with the Bruins, his versatility as a coach and track record should translate in his return to Westwood.

UCLA football nabs four-star quarterback after new coorindator hire

The Bruins added a new quarterback for 2025.

It has been a whirlwind week for the UCLA Bruins football team. After closing their season with a win over Fresno State, the Bruins fired offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and hired former Indiana co-offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri.

In the fallout of Bieniemy’s firing, UCLA lost the commitment of four-star quarterback Madden Iamaleava. Bolting for Arkansas, Iamaleava seemed to leave a significant hole in the Bruins 2025 recruiting class.

That said, the Bruins added a four-star quarterback from the class of 2025 on Thursday. According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Bruins picked up the commitment of Robert McDaniel, a four-star recruit from Hughson, California. McDaniel ranks 31st among quarterbacks in the nation and chose UCLA over Arizona, citing his relationship with Sunseri.

Given Sunseri and McDaniel’s relationship, Bruins fans have good reason to be optimistic going into 2025. With an established connection, Sunseri and McDaniel should work well together in the future as the Bruins look to rebuild their roster following their first season in the Big Ten.

Former Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy fired

For the second time this year, Bieniemy insists he wasn’t fired.

Former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is again out of a job.

UCLA had hired Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator following his time as the Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator during the 2023 season.

Moving to a coordinator with NFL offensive coordinator experience was probably a good sell for the UCLA Bruins, who were moving from the PAC-12 to the Big Ten.

However, after only one season, UCLA informed Bieniemy that he would be replaced. The Bruins did not have a good offense in 2024. In fact, they were ranked 117th in the country.

Interestingly, Bieniemy’s agent said it was a mutual arrangement. This reminds Commanders’ fans of earlier this year, when Bieniemy said Washington did not fire him, insisting that though he lasted only one season as Washington’s offensive coordinator, the organization did not fire him.

You will recall that Bieniemy had been the OC for the Kansas City Chiefs. He first came to the Chiefs as running back coach, serving in that capacity for five seasons.

He then became the offensive coordinator the same season Patrick Mahomes became the starter. After five seasons, head coach Andy Reid publicly encouraged other NFL teams to hire Bieniemy as a head coach.

However, no offers came; only Washington offered the offensive coordinator position. Commanders Wire learned that on Feb. 17, 2023, Reid was bringing back Matt Nagy as his offensive coordinator, replacing Bieniemy, who did not yet have a new job.

Sure enough, Nagy was hired as the Kansas City offensive coordinator, and Bieniemy came to Washington. The Commanders did not even make it out of training camp before multiple players approached head coach Ron Rivera about Bieniemy’s coaching.

Obviously, the players were those whom Rivera respected their judgment because Rivera was troubled by it.

In short, the Commanders’ offense had a horrible season in 2023. They ignored the need to develop a running game, placed too much emphasis on passing the ball, and had too many quarterback sacks. They had only four wins, and Rivera and his coordinators, Jack Del Rio and Bieniemy, were fired.

Jason Fletcher, Bieniemy’s agent, publicly stated that it was always the plan that Bieniemy would return to the NFL in 2025.

That might be true, but in 2025, it won’t be as a head coach or offensive coordinator. Hopefully, Bieniemy can again find a job in the NFL where he can find some success.

Who is UCLA football’s new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri?

Getting to know UCLA’s latest offensive coordinator.

The UCLA Bruins made two massive decisions today, firing offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and hiring former Indiana coordinator Tino Sunseri.

Sunseri spent the 2024 college football season as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Bloomington, helping the Hoosiers to an 11-1 record in the Big Ten and, for now, a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Bruins’ newest offensive coordinator, Sunseri, also boasts an impressive resume and football background.

Sunseri was a three-year starting quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh and enjoyed a short stint with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadien Football League, winning a Grey Cup in 2013. 

After his playing career, Sunseri spent time at Florida State, Tennessee, and Alabama. As a graduate assistant with the Crimson Tide, Sunseri worked closely with future first-round quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones and won a College Football Championship in 2020. Sunseri later became the quarterbacks coach for James Madison before moving on to Indiana.

But Sunseri’s football life does not end there, as he is the son of four-time National Champion and current Colorado defensive tackles coach Sal Sunseri and the brother of Washington safeties coach Vinne Sunseri.

Sunseri has spent his entire life in and around football and finally gets to take the reins of an offense all by himself in Westwood. Though there may still be growing pains for the 35-year-old coordinator, the Bruins offense should improve in 2025 despite some surprising moves along the roster.

UCLA hires Indiana quartbacks coach as new offensive coordinator

The Bruins have found their next offensive coordinator.

The UCLA Bruins football season may have only ended last Saturday, but there have already been some significant coaching staff changes.

After an alleged “mutual parting” between UCLA and former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the Bruins have already found their replacement.

According to Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times, the Bruins hired Tino Sunseri, the former co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Indiana Hoosiers. At Indiana, Sunseri helped lead one of the most prolific offenses in the Big Ten, ranking fourth in total offense and averaging 438.8 yards per game during the regular season.

Sunseri notably gashed the stout Bruins defense in Week 3 of the 2024 season, scoring 42 points and generating over 400 yards of total offense in the blowout win. On the other hand, against Indiana, Bieniemy’s offense only garnered a mere 238 yards and 13 points.

Though the circumstances of Bieniemy’s firing may raise some eyebrows, the Bruins welcome a young coordinator with higher upside and better Big Ten production.

With the Bruins ranking dead last in rushing in the Big Ten, Sunseri offers a fresh face and some notable changes to UCLA’s underwhelming offense.