NFL First Thoughts: Washington Commanders
Eric Bieniemy is the new OC. Might he eventually replace the head coach?
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Lots of things could go wrong for the Commanders this year. There seems to be clear areas for potential conflict, from the new ownership group, to the head coach, to the new offensive coordinator.
Let’s begin with Eric Bieniemy, the new OC who comes over from the Chiefs. He has been lingering around the new coach hiring scene for the last three or four years. Every offseason there has been chatter about Bieniemy getting a head coaching job, only to see team after team (after team) pass on him. In the end, Bieniemy had to settle for a lateral move, accepting Washington’s coordinator job so he could get out from under Andy Reid’s shadow and run his own offense.
There’s a history of Bieniemy’s players not taking well to his in-your-face style of communication. It goes back to his days at Colorado, and more recently the LeSean McCoy situation in KC—where McCoy said he and other teammates disliked playing for him. There’s been some other drama behind the scenes that maybe hasn’t gotten the attention it should and is perhaps a reason he went 0-for-15 in job interviews. (In fairness, Bieniemy has lots of defenders, too.)
A criticism of Bieniemy, and it’s the one constantly repeated, is that he has ridden the coat tails of Reid’s play calling and Patrick Mahomes’ play making. If you’re ranking the three of them and asking who is most responsible for the Chiefs’ recent run of offensive success, most will rank Bieniemy a distant third. So if the perception is that Bieniemy is a product of the Chiefs’ offensive machine, then it made sense for him to take another OC job elsewhere. But why Washington? Well, it was perhaps a bit opportunistic on his part.
The Commanders have Ron Rivera as head coach, who is now entering his third season with the team. Also, the Commanders were sold to new ownership in May. This is a team that’s going in a much different direction. They also have arguably the worst starting QB in the NFL, Sam Howell, who is very unproven. When you look at the “First Coach To Be Fired” odds available at various sportsbooks, Rivera is right at the top of the list, and for good reason. Think about how this season could potentially trend with the difficult schedule early, the quarterback’s inexperience and integrating a new offensive system.
Bieniemy knows that if Rivera is let go midseason that he is a monster favorite to get the interim role. Was accepting this job a calculated move on Bieniemy’s part? Maybe, maybe not. Could his likely desire for Rivera’s job create new conflict? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it will be an interesting storyline to follow early in the 2023 season.