Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson turned heads this week when he hired former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Press Taylor to be his passing game coordinator.
The move disappointed many after his failure with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars offense. Taylor, the architect of the “Philly Special,” oversaw the career collapse of Carson Wentz before putting Lawrence and the Jags in purgatory.
Johnson hiring Taylor alone wouldn’t have been troubling, but the first-time head coach took a risk by hiring 28-year-old Declan Doyle as his offensive coordinator. Doyle only has two years of experience as a position coach, and he didn’t get much production out of the Denver Broncos tight ends.
The Chicago Bears made a curious hire
© David Banks-Imagn Images
On Saturday, Johnson decided to hire another offensive assistant with a troubling history. Per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, former Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieneimy is set to join Johnson’s staff as a running backs coach.
“An NFL return: Eric Bieniemy has agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears to be their running backs coach, source tells NFL on CBS,” Jones wrote. “A 2-time Super Bowl champ with the Chiefs, Bieniemy gives Ben Johnson’s offensive staff a veteran, championship presence.”
An NFL return: Eric Bieniemy has agreed to terms with the Chicago Bears to be their running backs coach, source tells @NFLonCBS. A 2-time Super Bowl champ with the Chiefs, Bieniemy gives Ben Johnson's offensive staff a veteran, championship presence.
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 1, 2025
Eric Bieniemy has had a rough couple of seasons
Bieniemy was proven to be another empty offensive mind under Reid’s tree, like Matt Nagy, when the Commanders’ offense sputtered in 2023. Washington’s offense finished in the bottom ten in points scored and in total yards during his only season with the team.
Former Washington head coach Ron Rivera even told the press that some players didn’t appreciate Bieniemy’s coaching style.
In 2024, Bieniemy accepted the UCLA assistant head coach and offensive coordinator gig. He was fired after the Bruins’ offense finished 117th in yards per game and 126th in points per game in the FBS.
The 55-year-old coach has a questionable legal past, including allegedly harassing a female parking attendant.
Bieniemy’s hiring is an interesting culture hire for Chicago, albeit one who general manager Ryan Poles is familiar with given their time together in Kansas City.
One wonders what Johnson and Bieniemy bonded over, other than a mutual love for quarterback Sam Howell in Washington.
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