Commanders’ Eric Bieniemy out in Washington after team hires Kliff Kingsbury as new offensive coordinator

On Monday morning, the Washington Commanders announced they had hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury as their next offensive coordinator. Yet if you went to the team’s official website at that time, last season’s offensive coordinator — Eric Bieniemy — was still listed as occupying the position. 

We now have clarity to an awkward situation following new head coach Dan Quinn’s introductory press conference Monday afternoon: the Commanders are moving forward with Kingsbury as OC, and Bieniemy is a coaching free agent. Their team site now reflects that change.

“I think he’s (Bieniemy) an excellent coach,” Quinn said Monday. “We’re not gonna work together here. I wish EB nothing but the best. I have a lot of respect to him.”

Bieniemy was hired last offseason to be the offensive coordinator under former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera. But his hiring happened before the team was sold from Daniel Snyder to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris. After his Chiefs offenses ranked in the top six in the entire NFL in points per game and total yards per game in each of his five seasons as their offensive coordinator (2018-22), the 2023 Commanders ranked bottom 10 in both scoring offense (25th) and total offense (24th in 2023). 

It’s worth mentioning the context that Bieniemy had a tall task in front of him trying to generate consistent offense with 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell at quarterback alongside a defense that ranked dead last in scoring defense (30.5 points per game allowed), total defense (388.9 total yards per game allowed), passing touchdowns allowed (39) and passer rating allowed (105.7). 

Unfortunately for Bieniemy, all the head-coaching openings this offseason have been filled. The two currently-open offensive coordinator jobs are with the Chargers and Seahawks, who recently hired Jim Harbaugh and Mike Macdonald, respectively, as their new head coaches. A return to Kansas City as an assistant head coach would seem possible for Bieniemy if he doesn’t land a job elsewhere, but given that the success he had as an offensive coordinator there did not lead to the head-coaching opportunity he has been pursuing, that would seem like a step backward.