Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy Previews Denver Matchup in His Return to Kansas City

Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy helped guide Kansas City to a pair of Super Bowl victories during his first tenure with the team. He departed after the 2022 campaign to pursue a new opportunity, eventually spending time with the Washington Commanders, UCLA, and Chicago Bears before returning to K.C. this offseason.

It has been a tumultuous past few months for Bieniemy, whose son, Elijah, faces charges in connection with the shooting of Bieniemy's wife, Mia. Bieniemy took a personal leave at the beginning of training camp but returned in August and is back coaching the team, replacing Matt Nagy as the team's offensive coordinator.

Expectations are high for Bieniemy to lead Kansas City back to the high-octane offense it once had. Even before Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL a year ago, the offense simply didn't have the same explosiveness it had when Bieniemy was calling plays.

On Friday, Bieniemy met with the media for the first time this month to preview the team's Week 1 matchup against the Broncos. He had nothing but praise for Denver's defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and his players, especially along the defensive line.

"Vance is an outstanding coach. He's done a great job with that defense. Those guys play their asses off. They were in that AFC championship game and probably a few plays away," Bieniemy said. "We know Mr. 15 (Nik Bonitto) can get after. We know Zach Allen can get after. This team is pretty good at every level."

Aug 28, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy on the sidelines against the Seattle Seahawks during the game at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With left tackle Josh Simmons expected to miss the opener due to a lingering back injury, undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson will start in his place. He emerged as a threat to win the right tackle job over veteran Jaylon Moore during training camp, but moving to the left side, where he never played in college, came as an unexpected development.

Regardless, Bieniemy expressed confidence in his rookie to make the adjustment, even against one of the NFL's better pass rushes.

"Go play and have fun," was Bieniemy's message to Benson. "This kid has worked his tail off. We're talking about a kid who played on a national championship team. The beauty of having Kahlil is this: you've got Trey [Smith] and Creed [Humphrey] in that room. You've got two leaders that have been on this offensive line since Day 1, and those guys are doing a great job with the communication aspect, but also just mentally helping him to understand the what's, the why's, and the how's."

Mahomes' top wide receiver, Rashee Rice, is another player who's had a rough offseason, although for self-inflicted reasons. He spent 30 days in a Dallas jail after violating his probation, forcing him to miss the team's offseason workouts.

Bieniemy has described Rice as "hardheaded" and "stubborn" in the past, but noted that he remains eager to learn and is improving as a coachable player.

"Rashee has done an outstanding job," Bieniemy said. "Is every day clean? No, it's not. Is every day as pretty as you'd like it? No. But what I love about him is that he's accepted the challenge to come out there and work. Obviously, there will always be things that we disagree upon, but when it's all said and done with, our job is to make sure that we're putting him in a position to be the best that he can be."

Entering his first game back with the organization, Bieniemy ended his presser by making it clear how he wants to set the tone: through physicality.

"Just like anybody, we want to go out there and establish a physical presence," Bieniemy concluded. "It's all about our mindset. It's about having an attitude and a focused, determined mindset to go out there and inflict your will."

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