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Eric Bieniemy

Coaching Notes: Bieniemy, Texans, Falcons

January 16th, 2021 at 4:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Eagles requesting an interview with Eric Bieniemy, the Chiefs offensive coordinator is now 7-for-7 in meeting requests during this hiring period. However, the third-year OC has again run into issues on the interview circuit. Despite being Andy Reid‘s right-hand man during the most successful period in Chiefs history, Bieniemy may go a third cycle without landing a coaching job. It is trending in that direction, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweets. Bieniemy did not interview well on the whole last year and has encountered similar issues during this cycle, according to Tony Pauline and Benjamin Allbright of ProFootballNetwork.com.

Although the Texans changed course and submitted a request to speak with Bieniemy, as they deal with a disgruntled Deshaun Watson, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora notes that interview is doubtful to commence. With the Chiefs’ bye week over, any team wishing to meet with Bieniemy going forward must wait until Kansas City’s season ends. If the No. 1-seeded Chiefs make it back to the Super Bowl, the remaining jobs may be filled by then. Three teams have filled their positions; the Lions are soon expected to hire Saints assistant Dan Campbell; the Chargers may be zeroing in on Bills third-year OC Brian Daboll. This would leave only the Houston and Philadelphia jobs available. Though Bieniemy not being his team’s primary play-caller makes him an atypical HC candidate from the offensive side of the ball, it would certainly be strange if he exited another offseason without landing a coaching gig.

Here is the latest from the coaching circuit:

  • Staying with the Texans, they will interview another Bills coordinator this weekend. They will speak with Buffalo DC Leslie Frazier on Sunday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Frazier, who has been Buffalo’s defensive play-caller, has re-emerged on the HC radar after four seasons as Buffalo’s DC under Sean McDermott. Support is building for Frazier with the Texans, La Canfora notes. Since the Vikings ended Frazier’s three-plus-year run as their head coach after the 2013 season, he has been a coordinator for two teams (the Bucs and Bills) and coached the Ravens secondary in between.
  • In hiring Arthur Smith, the Falcons almost certainly have their offensive play-caller in place. But they have identified a Smith right-hand man in Bears passing-game coordinator Dave Ragone. The Chicago assistant has emerged as an early favorite to become Atlanta’s OC, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweeting a Smith-Ragone partnership running the Falcons’ offense has a “good chance” of happening. Ragone has been with the Bears since 2016.
  • Now that Chuck Pagano has retired, the Bears are on the lookout for a new defensive coordinator. Defensive line coach Jay Rodgers and safeties coach Sean Desai stand to be the top internal candidates to succeed Pagano, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). Rodgers served as D-line coach under John Fox in Denver and followed him to Chicago in 2015. Rodgers’ contract expires next week, and Rapoport notes he is expected to be a DC candidate for other teams as well in the coming days.
  • Marion Hobby will make a move to another AFC team’s defensive staff. The Bengals are hiring the veteran assistant as their D-line coach, Ben Baby of ESPN.com tweets. Hobby, who spent six seasons as Clemson’s co-defensive coordinator under Dabo Swinney, coached the Dolphins and Jaguars’ D-lines in the four seasons since. Hobby was with Jacksonville when the team’s “Sacksonville” D-line drove a run to the AFC title game.

Eagles Request Eric Bieniemy Interview

January 16th, 2021 at 2:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after firing a member of Andy Reid‘s coaching tree, the Eagles would like to interview another. They submitted a request to speak with Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).

Bieniemy has been a frequent interviewee since the 2019 hiring period but has not received a head coaching opportunity yet. The Eagles hired Doug Pederson off Reid’s staff in 2016, and the Bears poached Matt Nagy two years later. Bieniemy has been in place as Kansas City’s OC since Nagy’s departure.

The Eagles’ search is now in full swing. Bieniemy makes it nine candidates to receive interview requests. This news follows the report the Eagles will meet with Patriots OC Josh McDaniels. While the Eagles-McDaniels summit will occur Sunday, the team will not be able to speak with Bieniemy until the Chiefs’ season concludes.

As for Bieniemy, he has now received interview requests from all seven teams who were without a head coach this offseason. However, the Falcons, Jaguars and Jets have gone in different directions. The Lions are also expected to hire Dan Campbell, leaving just three jobs — the Eagles, Chargers and Texans — available. The Texans now have Bieniemy on their radar, though Houston has gone through a turbulent search process.

Here is how Philly’s search process stands as of Saturday afternoon, via PFR’s search tracker:

2021 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

January 15th, 2021 at 1:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Exiting the regular season, six teams are searching for new head coaches. That number is up from last season but not quite as high as 2019, though there may well be more vacancies that emerge during the playoffs.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 1-27-21 (7:05pm CT)

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Texans Request Interview With Eric Bieniemy

January 12th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Well, they finally did it. The Texans have requested an interview with Eric Bieniemy for their vacant head coaching job, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Houston’s interest in Bieniemy, or lack thereof, had become a point of major controversy over the past week, as it was reported that Deshaun Watson was very unhappy with the team over their handling of their coaching and GM searches. Watson had been assured by owner Cal McNair that he’d be involved in the process and kept in the loop, but then the team didn’t even interview any of the GM candidates he suggested and didn’t tell him they were hiring Nick Caserio.

The team had also to this point refused to even interview Bieniemy, unlike virtually every other team with an opening, who is reportedly a favorite of Watson. That had culminated in reports that Watson could eventually demand a trade. Clearly Caserio, and to some extent McNair, want to keep Watson happy, and this is a good step in the right direction toward mending the relationship.

It was reported that Watson had no problem with Caserio, only that he was left in the dark, so it’s entirely possible those two will have a good relationship moving forward. Bieniemy, of course, is currently the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator serving under Andy Reid.

He’s been a hot candidate this cycle, and Rapsheet also tweeted that the Texans are only now truly ramping up their search now that Caserio is in place. We heard yesterday they were going to speak with Ravens assistant head coach David Culley, and with Bills DC and former Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier.

They had already interviewed several candidates before Caserio’s hiring though, so their attempt to now cast this as the beginning of the search doesn’t ring entirely true. Either way they won’t be able to interview Bieniemy right away, as Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets that since the initial anti-tampering interview window has closed, the team will have to wait until either the Chiefs lose or after the Super Bowl, whichever comes first.

Texans Did Not Request Interview With Eric Bieniemy

January 6th, 2021 at 7:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has interviewed for every head coach opening…except one. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Texans did not request an interview with the coordinator.

[RELATED: Texans to hire Nick Caserio as GM]

To review, Bieniemy interviewed for both the Jaguars and Jets jobs today, he met with the Chargers yesterday, and he interviewed with the Falcons and Lions on Monday. In recent years, he also interviewed with the Buccaneers, Dolphins, Browns, Giants, and Panthers about their former openings. The 51-year-old has emerged as a major HC candidate in recent seasons after guiding Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense to a Super Bowl victory. After several years of interviewing, Bieniemy may finally get his shot in 2021.

That shot apparently won’t come in Houston. The organization was running both their head coaching search and GM search concurrently, with the latter being resolved following the expected hire of Patriots executive Nick Caserio. Now, Caserio will presumably have a say in the head coach search. So far this offseason, the Texans have been connected to a number of potential candidates, including former head coaches Marvin Lewis and Jim Caldwell, Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady, and Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Jaguars To Interview Eric Bieniemy, Robert Saleh, Raheem Morris

January 5th, 2021 at 5:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Clarity emerged in the Jaguars’ Doug Marrone replacement search Tuesday. The Jags are set to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and former Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

While Urban Meyer has been the name most closely connected to this search, no interview has been scheduled. Bieniemy will speak with Jags brass Wednesday, with Morris and Saleh interviews on tap for Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Now a regular on the HC interview circuit, Bieniemy has been Kansas City’s OC since Patrick Mahomes‘ QB1 tenure began. While Bieniemy is not the Chiefs’ primary play-caller, he has long been expected to land a coaching gig this year. He may hit for the cycle in coaching interviews as well. The Chargers have requested an interview with their former running back. The Lions have already interviewed Bieniemy, while the Jets and Falcons will speak with him as well.

Saleh would be an interesting hire. He has a history with the Jaguars during Shad Khan‘s ownership tenure. The current 49ers defensive play-caller spent three seasons (2014-16) as Jacksonville’s linebackers coach. A Michigan native, Saleh has been most closely connected to the Lions job and has already interviewed with the Falcons. The Bolts submitted an interview request as well.

Re-emerging on the HC radar for the first time in many years, Morris interviewed for the Falcons job he held during this season’s second half and has come up in the Raiders’ defensive coordinator search. The Jags are the first non-Falcons franchise to request a Morris HC meeting, however.

The Jaguars have also requested an interview with Titans OC Arthur Smith, joining every other HC-seeking team in that regard.

Chargers Request Eric Bieniemy Interview

January 5th, 2021 at 9:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have requested permission to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their head coaching job, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The Lions, Falcons, and Jets are also expected to chat with Bieniemy, who profiles as one of the hottest candidates in this cycle.

The former running back spent four years with the Chargers back in the day and was even with the club for their early 90s Super Bowl trip. These days, he’s known as the mastermind behind one of the game’s most electric offenses. The Chargers are looking for someone to develop Justin Herbert into an elite quarterback, and Bieniemy has been widely credited for Patrick Mahomes‘ success.

In 2020, Bieniemy met with the Browns, Giants, and Panthers about their head coaching vacancies. Last year, he chatted with the Bucs and Dolphins. He didn’t land a HC job either time, but it would be a shock to see him passed over in 2021.

After a losing year full of near-victories, the Chargers are set to pick No. 13 overall in the spring.

Jets, Falcons, Lions To Interview Eric Bieniemy

January 4th, 2021 at 10:38am CST by Zachary Links

It’s shaping up to be a busy week for Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. He’ll conduct virtual interviews with the Lions and Falcons on Monday afternoon, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, the Jets have officially requested an interview of their own.

Head coaching candidates whose teams are in the playoffs aren’t allowed to interview until after wild-card weekend. But, for Bieniemy, there’s a loophole, thanks to the Chiefs’ first-round bye. The same goes for 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is also slated to meet with the Lions. The Lions’ latest round of interview requests also includes Saints AHC/TE coach Dan Campbell and Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Saleh, a Dearborn, Michigan native, may be poised for a homecoming. Still, the Lions have a candidates list in the double digits, so he’ll have lots of competition. Bieniemy, of course, is one of the hottest coaches on the block, and he has the offensive acumen the Lions need to get the most out of their talent.

Falcons To Interview Robert Saleh And Eric Bieniemy For HC Vacancy Monday

January 3rd, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 49ers’ season just ended with a loss to the Seahawks, but things are just getting started for defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Saleh is expected to be a hot heat coaching candidate this cycle, and it sounds like he’s got his first move lined up. Saleh will interview with the Falcons over zoom for their job on Monday, San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan revealed during his post-game press conference.

Atlanta won’t stop there, as they’re also going to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on Monday, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). They clearly aren’t honing in on anything specific, interviewing coaches with defensive and offensive backgrounds. Saleh is a highly regarded leader who always has his defenses playing with high intensity, and when they were healthy the 49ers had one of the league’s best defenses last year.

Bieniemy has a ringing endorsement from Andy Reid, which obviously goes a long way these days. He’s been in Kansas City with Reid since 2013, previously as his running backs coach. Bieniemy is widely considered to be one of the frontrunners for the Texans’ job.

The Falcons won’t be the only team interested in Saleh, and Shanahan even said that he would have several more interviews in the coming days. Saleh is from Michigan, and has also been linked to the Lions’ job. Get ready, the coaching carousel is just starting to heat up.

Lions Interview Marvin Lewis For HC

January 3rd, 2021 at 11:42am CST by Rory Parks

Thus far, the Lions’ GM search has generated more headlines than their hunt for a new head coach, but their HC pursuit will soon kick into high gear. Detroit started that process by interviewing longtime Bengals HC Marvin Lewis several days ago, as Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report.

[RELATED: Lions to pursue Seahawks GM John Schneider]

Lewis interviewed with the Texans for their HC vacancy last month, so the 62-year-old appears to be firmly back on the NFL radar. He currently serves as the co-defensive coordinator on Herm Edwards‘ staff at Arizona State.

The defensive acumen that he displayed while working as the Ravens’ DC from 1996-01 helped Lewis secure the Cincinnati gig in 2003, a position he held for 16 seasons. Though his 0-7 record in the postseason has garnered plenty of attention and ultimately contributed to Lewis’ ouster, the fact that he got the formerly moribund Bengals to the playoffs seven times during his tenure was in and of itself a major accomplishment.

Detroit is considering a wide variety of candidates for its HC post. Robert Saleh, the current 49ers defensive coordinator, is said to be high atop the team’s wish-list, but the Lions are also considering offensive-minded coaches. Chiefs offensive coordinator and hot commodity Eric Bieniemy is a target, as is Titans OC Arthur Smith.

Peter Schrager of the NFL Network reports that Saleh, Bieniemy, and interim HC Darrell Bevell are expected to interview this week (Twitter link).

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