Commanders Fire Eric Bieniemy; What Went Wrong?

Why didn't things work out for offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after one season with the Commanders?

As happens with most head head coach hires, Dan Quinn brought in a new coaching staff to compliment him, firing Washington Commanders' incumbent offensive coordinator and assistant head coach Eric Bieniemy in the process.

The surprising part is that Bieniemy was considered a future head coach just a year ago, having interviewed for 15 vacancies. Now, he finds himself needing another job, so what went wrong during his time with the Commanders?

Why didn't Eric Bieniemy succeed during his time coaching the Washington Commanders? / USA Today

After five seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator, Bieniemy's hard-nosed approach to coaching failed in Washington.

“It was a significant turn for Bieniemy, who arrived a year ago to great fanfare,“ Nicki Jhabvala and Sam Fortier of the Washington Post wrote.

After inheriting a struggling offense, the team didn't invest much into improving the offensive line. Still, it seemed as though Bieniemy didn't have any interest in restricting his offensive scheme to fit the players he now had. 

"In Bieniemy’s lone season in Washington, the Commanders’ offense was inconsistent and unbalanced, and quarterback Sam Howell regressed as the season went on," the Washington Post continued.

Rather than lean on the Commanders' run game offensively, which averaged 4.4 yards per carry (seventh best in the NFL), Bieniemy tried to force Howell to turn into Patrick Mahomes by putting the first-year passer into a pressure cooker, as evidenced by Washington's 53 straight passing attempts against the Chicago Bears which led to him being hit 11 times and sacked five.

In the end, the Commanders would finish tied for 23rd in offensive scoring, 24th in third-down efficiency, and 30th in rush rate (38.2 percent) when the clock or scoreboard didn’t dictate run or pass, according to the Washington Post. 

Players such as Logan Thomas and Terry McLaurin also vocalized that there were struggles throughout the season. McLaurin referred to one of his games as a cardio session after not getting the usage one would expect of a top receiver.

"In the locker room, signs of frustration were evident throughout the season," the Washington Post wrote. "Players, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal team dynamics, described Bieniemy as a hard-working coach who hamstrung his own efforts with poor communication, stubborn play-calling and a disregard for player feedback."

According to the story, some players took issue with just how hard Bieienemy ran his practices, which left them tired before games, and believed that it left them more susceptible to injury.

After not coming across as a players coach with his increased role in Washington, it's no surprise that only the Commanders gave him a head coaching interview in this year's cycle. 

"Bieniemy’s title of assistant head coach gave him greater authority than most coordinators, allowing him to script practices and alter players’ schedules during the week," the Washington Post wrote. With that responsibility, he shouldered as much blame for the team's failures as head coach Ron Rivera, who was also fired.

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Although Bieniemy's tenure with the Commanders wasn't successful, it seems he's still beloved by his former team. Mahomes seemed happy to see Bieniemy before the Chiefs, saying it was “cool” to have his energy around the team before the big game.

Perhaps there's hope that Bieniemy finds his way back to Kansas City this off-season, but for now, he'll have to watch as his former team attempts to repeat as Super Bowl champions against the San Franciso 49ers without him.