4 Minority Head Coaches Hired as Washington Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy Struggles to Find New Head Coaching Job

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has been vying for a head coaching job since being the offensive coordinator for the NFL’s best offense in 2018, yet another edition of the coaching carousel has passed by with Bienemy still not moving upwards.

This year, Eric Bieniemy was even passed over by his own team, the Washington Commanders. The Commanders fired head coach Ron Rivera and decided to go with former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.

Bieniemy interviewed with the Commanders during this offseason, and before this offseason, he underwent a total of 16 interviews with 15 different teams.

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy did not impress in his first year, but he did not have the weapons he had with the Kansas City Chiefs

In his first year as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, Eric Bieniemy led the offense to the 24th overall total offense ranking. They had the 18th-best passing offense, but their 27th-ranked rushing offense held them back significantly.

On top of being 24th in yards per game, the Commanders were 24th in scoring under Bieniemy. Only one team scored fewer points per game than the Commanders and made it to the playoffs, and that team was the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bieniemy didn’t have one of the league’s top offenses, but there was slight improvement. Yards per play and points per game were both up from last year, even if it was just slightly.

Bieniemy’s signal caller was first-year starter Sam Howell, who is a far cry from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Bieniemy also did not have playmakers like wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.

Despite a lack of players at that level, one of the main criticisms of Bieniemy was his inability to get the ball into the hands of the playmakers they did have. Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin had almost 200 fewer receiving yards than last year, despite having 12 more targets. His four touchdowns are tied for the least amount of touchdowns he’s had in his career.

At one point during the season, Bieniemy called out his starting quarterback for poor play. While throwing players under the bus isn’t exactly a good leadership quality, Bieniemy was not wrong as starting quarterback Sam Howell threw a league-leading 21 interceptions this year.

Bieniemy said in an article from Pro Football Talk that Howell simply had a bad game, and that is why the Commanders decided to sub in backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

“He just didn’t play well, and unfortunately that happens. And it’s not like anything you can put your finger on. But on the flip side of that, Jacoby steps in and he sparks a rally. The good thing is that you have a great quarterback room and those guys do a great job of supporting one another, and those guys are the biggest fans of each other. And obviously, it’s a tough situation, but I guarantee you Sam is going to be Jacoby’s biggest fan just as Jacoby was his biggest fan,” Bieniemy said.

Fans are still shocked Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy did not get hired as a head coach

In years past, many blamed racism as being a major factor in Eric Bieniemy’s inability to land a head coaching job in the NFL. Bieniemy led one of the league’s top offenses for four straight years in Kansas City. Part of the reason Bieniemy moved to Washington was to dispel the idea that Mahomes Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was the reason for his success.

While Bieniemy did not have a particularly successful year in his first season as the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, the Chiefs offense did take a step back without his presence. The lowest the Chiefs’ total offense ever ranked with Bieniemy in-house was sixth, which was in 2019.

The Chiefs ranked first overall in 2018, 2020, and 2022 with Bieniemy as the offensive coordinator. They ranked third in 2021. This year, the Chiefs fell to ninth in total offense, but they still managed to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl.

While it can never be clear as to whether racism did play a factor in Bieniemy’s inability to land a head coaching job without an outright admittance, one noteworthy thing to consider is that there were four minority head coaches hired during this offseason.

• Dave Canales – Carolina Panthers
• Antonio Pierce – Las Vegas Raiders
• Jerod Mayo – New England Patriots
• Raheem Morris – Atlanta Falcons

Despite this, many fans are still puzzled as to why Bieniemy struggles to find a head coaching job.

why cant Eric Bieniemy get an HC job? I need a deep-dive into all of his interviews

— Yami Sukenegro (@Sua_Jante21) February 1, 2024

there’s going to be a documentary one day on all those Eric Bieniemy interviews that have never led to a HC position https://t.co/EuF7BIMDnh

— Crooked-Eye (@StevenFromNJ) February 1, 2024

what do all these owners that interview Eric Bieniemy see that they don’t want to hire him as a HC?

— Ant (@McDelagold) February 1, 2024

Bieniemy must sell every interview ever because to get passed up for this stooge is mind blowing https://t.co/IkKsdUTjK0

— Chandler Stamm (@stamm_chandler) February 1, 2024

Eric Bieniemy’s future in the NFL is still undecided as new Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has not announced plans for his incoming staff.

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