Tag: eric bieniemy

UCLA offers full-scholarship to tight end commit

Scholarships are being handed out!

UCLA’s scholarship class is finally taking shape for the 2025 recruiting class.

The Bruins offered committed tight end Noah Flores a full scholarship this week, following his commitment back in May. The three-star tight end is the third-ranked tight end in Washington, according to 247Sports.

At 6′ 4″ and 240 pounds, Flores is the ideal size for UCLA’s scheme, bringing size and agility to the offense. The 2025 Graham-Kapowsin High School product looks to impact the Bruins varied offense after this season. With still another year of high school football to play, the upside for Flores is that he can continue to grow and develop into an even better player.

The 2025 Bruins offense is already shaping up to be one of the best in recent years. With four-star quarterback Madden Iamaleava slated to be the program’s future starter, surrounding him with bought-in and talented players is the pathway to success for UCLA.

Add to that offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and the Bruins could be looking at a bright future ahead in Westwood.

Commanders re-sign veteran wide receiver Byron Pringle

The Commanders bring back veteran WR Byron Pringle.

On Wednesday, the Washington Commanders brought back a familiar face. Per his agents, Katz Brothers Sports, the Commanders re-signed veteran wide receiver Byron Pringle.

Pringle, 30, spent the 2023 season with Washington, where he appeared in all 17 games, making one start. Pringle caught 14 passes for 161 yards. Pringle was initially brought to the Commanders by his former offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs, Eric Bienemy.

Pringle entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2018, out of Kansas State. He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Chiefs. Pringle played for the Chicago Bears in 2022.

Pringle has 91 receptions for 1,194 yards and nine touchdowns for his career.

It’s uncertain why Washington is bringing in Pringle again. Ahead of Tuesday’s practice, there were no known injuries at wide receiver. Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Luke McCaffrey are the only roster locks at receiver. Several positions remain up for grabs.

The Commanders return to the practice field on Thursday after a day off.

UCLA QB Ethan Garbers praises new OC Eric Bieniemy

Garbers loves EB.

At Big Ten media day in Indianapolis last week, the media spoke with UCLA Bruins quarterback Ethan Garbers. One of the topics on hand was the addition of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

Garbers was very appreciative of the coaching Bieniemy has given and will be giving to the signal caller all season. He had this to say when asked what it meant to have him on staff.

“Same guy who coached Patrick Mahomes is going to be coaching us.”

Garbers is 21 years old from Newport Beach. He came to UCLA from Washington. He appears to have the leg up for the starting job when the season kicks off in 2024.

Bieniemy is 54 years old and was with Washington Commanders a season ago. He won two Super Bowl titles with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2018-2022. He was named the offensive coordinator/associate head coach following the hiring of Coach Foster.

You can find more of the interview with the Big Ten Network here:

Garbers and the UCLA Bruins start their season August 31st in Hawaii.

Advanced stat highlight Commanders’ offensive issues from past 2 seasons

Washington’s offensive numbers were ugly over the past two seasons.

At any level of football, the goal is to get off to a fast start. While starting fast and scoring fast doesn’t always mean you’ll win, it definitely increases your odds of winning.

Over the past two seasons under former head coach Ron Rivera, the Washington Commanders were an offensive mess at times. In 2022, Scott Turner was in his third season as offensive coordinator before being fired at the end of that season. Last season, Eric Bieniemy took over as Washington’s offensive play-caller.

The results were similar despite how the Commanders arrived at those results.

Warren Sharp recently revealed the Commanders, along with division rival the New York Giants, were dead last in the number of times they scored first in a game over the past two seasons combined.

While the Giants were a surprise playoff team in 2022, they’ve been abysmal for several seasons. New York has been consistently worse than Washington in recent years, as the Commanders often hover around the .500 mark before the wheels fell off.

So, out of their last 34 games, Washington scored first in only 11. The Commanders are 12-21-1 during this time. Last season was awful for Washington, which lost its final eight games because it could not get anything going on offense.

Turner and Bieniemy are gone. In are offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Commanders will be better offensively. How much better? We shall see.

In some good news from Sharp’s statistics: The Cowboys were 10-0 when scoring first last season when Washington head coach Dan Quinn was their defensive coordinator. So, if the Commanders can get a lead, perhaps Quinn can help them keep it.

Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. named a potential 2024 breakout player

Will 2024 be Brian Robinson Jr’s breakout season?

What is Washington running back Brian Robinson Jr’s ceiling? As a rookie in 2022, Robinson rushed for 797 yards and two touchdowns in only 12 games. This is after he missed the first four games of his rookie season after he was shot twice in an attempted robbery just before the season.

In 2023, Robinson, as Washington’s lead back, rushed for 733 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games. While Robinson took a step back in total rushing yards, his yards per attempt were up, and he did more damage as a receiver, catching 36 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns.

But why did Robinson rush for fewer yards while remaining healthy? The answer is former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. The Commanders, in Bieniemy’s only year in Washington, led the NFL in passing attempts while finishing last in rushing attempts. This wasn’t a product of the Commanders being down in every game, either.

After the season, multiple players shared their frustration with the offense, including right guard Sam Cosmi.

Washington has a new head coach (Dan Quinn), offensive coordinator (Kliff Kingsbury) and quarterback (Jayden Daniels). The Commanders will run the ball in 2024, although Robinson will split some time with veteran Austin Ekeler, who does his damage in the passing game.

Pro Football Network recently named one 2024 breakout player for every team. Robinson was Washington’s pick.

Dan Quinn is changing things in a big way for the Commanders, and with a ton of new pieces in place, the running game is going to be a rookie QB’s best friend. Following a season in which Robinson showed some exciting potential, 2024 could be the year he puts himself in the breakout category.

We totally agree here. Robinson will not be forgotten in Kingsbury’s offense. There has been talk that Washington will use more 12 personnel in 2024, which could be fun with a dual-threat quarterback like Daniels under center. Either way, don’t be shocked if Robinson has his best season yet.

 

NFL insider: Some teams ‘scared to death’ what Commanders could be with Jayden Daniels

Some within the NFL think Jayden Daniels can take Washington’s offense to a new level as a rookie.

How good can the Washington Commanders be in 2024? NFL analysts believe the Commanders will be better in 2024 but stop short of thinking they can be anywhere close to a playoff team.

Others think Washington will be terrible — again.

However, according to NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, some teams think the Commanders could be scary with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels under center.

“This is the time of the year where I talk to teams, just about big-picture stuff, what do you think of this player, that player, and I’ve had multiple people bring up this week, unprompted, I’m kind of scared what Washington could be with Jayden Daniels,” Fowler said.

“Because he’s got the high-end running ability like some of these other quarterbacks we’ve seen come in, but he is more advanced as a passer. It was brought up to me, the comp with Lamar Jackson, maybe not quite as good of a runner as Jackson was, but good enough. But, a better passer at this stage of his career than Jackson was. The offensive line is the one thing that could be holding back Washington’s offense because they have a lot of skill to go along with Daniels.”

Here’s the clip.

The offensive line remains a question. The Commanders signed two new starters at center (Tyler Biadasz) and left guard (Nick Allegretti). Washington brings back Andrew Wylie, who struggled at right tackle last season. At left tackle, the Commanders will roll with veteran journeyman Cornelius Lucas or rookie third-round pick Brandon Coleman.

In an ideal world, Washington’s offensive line would improve due to Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was determined to pass the ball 40 or more times each week, even when the Commanders were successfully running the football. Running the ball will help the offensive line and the quarterback.

What are your expectations for the Commanders offense this fall?

 

How is the Commanders’ RB unit still ranked outside the top 20?

Washington should have a strong backfield in 2024.

In his second NFL season, Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 733 yards, averaging 4.1 yards per attempt. While those weren’t outstanding numbers, it’s important to note that Washington led the NFL in passing attempts while ranking dead last in rushing attempts.

The Commanders could run the ball when they chose to but rarely tried, even when games were close. This irked some Washington players, including guard Sam Cosmi.

This offseason, the Commanders moved on from former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. After hiring Dan Quinn as head coach, he hired former Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury as the new offensive coordinator.

Washington wasted no time in adding to the backfield, signing veteran Austin Ekeler on the first day of free agency’s legal tampering period in March. That gave the new-look Commanders a backfield of Robinson, Ekeler and second-year pro Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Kingsbury’s offense plans to feature the run, regardless of what you hear about him as an Air Raid guy. The Commanders reportedly plan to run more 12 personnel in 2024 to support rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Robinson and Ekeler could form one of the NFL’s better duos in 2024 because of their complementary skill sets. Robinson will be the lead back, while Ekeler can operate as the third-down back. While both are good receivers in the passing game, Ekeler has been the NFL’s top pass-catching backs for years. Rodriguez represents the perfect change of pace from both.

How is Washington’s backfield viewed across the NFL?

Apparently, not too well. Pro Football Focus recently ranked all 32 NFL backfields and placed the Commanders at No. 24.

The Commanders ranked 16th in PFF rushing grade in 2023 before subbing out Antonio Gibson for Austin Ekeler this offseason. Ekeler is coming off the lowest single-season rushing and receiving grades (65.1 and 57.4) of his career, but a change of scenery for him in Washington could lead to a bounce back.

Behind Ekeler, Washington haw Brian Robinson and Chris Rodriguez Jr., both of whom earned rushing grades above 73.0 last season.

Why does PFF think Robinson will be behind Ekeler? And how is Washington’s backfield not ranked somewhere inside the top 20?

Sure, there are some concerns with Ekeler’s age, as he battled a nagging injury last season. But he says he’s healthy and from watching him during the offseason, he surely looks healthy. Robinson is re-energized under the new coaching staff.

The Commanders essentially swapped out Antonio Gibson for Ekeler. Gibson was frustrating at times, but neither of his two offensive coordinators in Washington knew how to use him. Ekeler has accomplished a lot more in his NFL career, but how much does he have left?

If the Commanders’ backfield remains healthy in 2024, they could be one of the more intriguing units in the NFL.

 

Eric Bieniemy wouldn’t allow Commanders’ players to wear hats backward

Washington’s offensive players weren’t allowed to wear their hats backward last year. How ironic is it that Dan Quinn is the new coach?

There’s a bit of irony with the Washington Commanders hiring Dan Quinn as their new coach this offseason. Quinn is unique. He’s the only NFL coach you’ll see who wears his hats backward and owns a vast collection of Air Jordans.

One year ago, Washington players, at least offensive players, weren’t allowed to wear their hats backward, according to right guard Sam Cosmi.

“Last year, I was not allowed to wear my hat backwards [in the building],” Cosmi told Candace Buckner of The Washington Post in a story about Quinn.

“So that’s a little fun fact there. That was something that we as players, offensive side, we weren’t allowed to wear our hat backwards.”

Cosmi said he loved Quinn’s look and noted how his wife preferred for him to wear his hat backward, which he couldn’t do last season.

That rule came from Washington’s offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. When former head coach Ron Rivera hired Bieniemy, he gave him the assistant head coach title and more authority, leading to a more hands-off approach from Rivera.

How’d that rule work out? You can do those things when you are delivering as a coach or player, but when you aren’t thriving in your position and you have silly rules such as this, it only makes things more difficult in the locker room.

At the end of last season, it was clear Washington players weren’t fans of Bieniemy. Logan Thomas, Charles Leno Jr. and Cosmi were some of those players who displayed frustration and used restraint in discussing Bieniemy.

Remember how Washington players were accused of being soft when taking issue with Bieniemy? How many former players across the NFL and some in the media immediately took Bieniemy’s side and blamed the players? As it turns out, the players had every right to be unhappy with the coaching staff last season.

It’s a new day now. Every returning player, regardless of which side of the ball they play on, has embraced Quinn and his staff.

Quinn is not wearing his backward to make a point. He’s done this long before Bieniemy made it a rule in Washington for one season.

“I respect people’s individuality and things that mean something to them,” Quinn told The Post. “So whether it’s a hairstyle or no facial hair — like, all the rules that we’ve all heard throughout our life, I don’t necessarily see it that way. I like that people are unique and different.”

The Commanders report to training camp beginning on July 18, and, for once, most players aren’t dreading the beginning of training camp.

UCLA lands three-star offensive lineman Garrison Blank

DeShaun Foster keeps bringing them in.

UCLA continued to fill out the 2025 recruiting class this week, adding to their future offensive line in a big way. The Bruins picked up a commitment from Rocklin, California, offensive tackle Garrison Blank.

Blank, who stands at 6′ 7″ and just over 300 lbs, is a massive presence on the offensive line. With great run-blocking ability and study pass-protection on the left side of the offensive line, Blank offers left or swing tackle capability.

Already nearly NFL-sized, Blank’s build gives him immediate upside at the next level. With the Bruins moving to the BIG 10, where run-first, power football thrives, having an offensive tackle with Blank’s size is an asset for the Bruins.

The Bruins thrived on their running game in 2024 while leaning on their defense. Under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, while changes to the offense will be made, it is unlikely they go away from what worked so well. Adding Blank to their commitments helps to shape the offense going forward and provide a potential starter at the position.

UCLA offers three-star receiver and teammate of Madden Iamaleava

This could be another big get.

The Bruins made an offer to a receiver with some potential future UCLA ties. After receiving a commitment from four-star Warren High School quarterback Madden Iamaleava, the Bruins extended an offer to his high school teammate.

Jace Brown, a three-star receiver from Warren in Downey, California, is a 2025 receiver on the receiving end of loads of passes from Iamaleava. Brown, at 6′ 2″ and 190 pounds, is already a collegiate-sized receiver with special teams ability. A great punt returner and deep threat in the passing game, the connection between Brown and Iamaleava could be a great pairing at the next level for the Bruins.

Though only an offer has been extended, the Bruins likely do see great potential between the two. With an already established connection in the passing game, under offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, the Bruins could have their next big duo for the future.

With Iamaleava providing great arm strength and accuracy and Brown able to climb the ladder to haul in passes, watch out for Brown’s commitment and the two potentially playing in the future.