Commanders news: Eric Bieniemy, Ben Johnson, Kirk Cousins and Kendall Fuller
By Dean Jones
Commanders interview Eric Bieniemy
It's been a quiet hiring cycle for Eric Bieniemy. The assistant head coach/offensive coordinator bet on himself by leaving the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs for increased responsibilities with the Washington Commanders. He ruffled some feathers and had some nice moments, but it didn't go as many envisaged.
Some players were unhappy with Bieniemy's methods. Criticism about putting too much pressure on quarterback Sam Howell within a pass-happy system was frequent. The respected figure is renowned for being hard on his players, but there was also an unwillingness to change that didn't sit right with many in the locker room.
No formal head coaching interview requests have come Bieniemy's way from outside the organization. Josina Anderson of CBS Sports revealed that the play-caller had a meeting with the Commanders' brain trust about potentially replacing Ron Rivera last week. She added that the detailed discussions went well.
"I’m told the Commanders interviewed assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their head coaching job last week, per source. The interview was labeled "detailed" and checked all of the boxes."
- Josina Anderson via X
This was worth exploring for the Commanders from a due diligence standpoint if nothing else. Giving him the job after an underwhelming season across the board would be a shocking development.
It seems for all the smart money as if Bieniemy's head coaching window has closed. That's extremely unfortunate, but the NFL is a cutthroat business with no room for sentiment whatsoever.