3 Chiefs Set to Benefit Most from Eric Bieniemy's Return

Eric Bieniemy is officially returning as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator. That's great news for these players especially.

Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After much deliberation, the Kansas City Chiefs have elected to bring a familiar face back as their offensive coordinator. Matt Nagy is moving on, whether it's as a head coach, an OC elsewhere, or something else entirely, his time with KC has come to an end. To replace him, the team brought back Eric Bieniemy, who helped orchestrate their offense from 2018 to 2023.

He's walking into quite a different situation this time around, though. A host of the key players he had at his disposal when he last drew up plays for the Chiefs might not be available in 2026, including Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, and JuJu Smith-Schuster, all of whom are free agents and shells of themselves compared to the last time they played under Bieniemy. Still, EB's return is great news for some of KC's top offensive players.

These players could break out under Eric Bieniemy

Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray (83) makes a catch against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

1. Noah Gray

For a minute there, Noah Gray looked like the heir apparent to Travis Kelce with the Kansas City Chiefs. He had strong performances in his second and third seasons in the NFL, in 2022 and 2023. Coincidentally, they were within Eric Bieniemy's tenure as offensive coordinator. After he left and was replaced by Matt Nagy, Gray had another encouraging campaign in 2024 but failed to replicate his impact this past year, despite Kelce's regression.

Now, Bieniemy is back, and Gray might be thrust into a larger role if Kelce does end up retiring. EB was the original coach to coax out the former Duke Blue Devil's potential. He might be exactly who Gray needs to regain his upward trajectory at tight end.

Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) on field against the Indianapolis Colts during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

2. Xavier Worthy

Xavier Worthy never became the Tyreek Hill replacement that the Chiefs hoped he could be, but he does still have plenty of talent and potential. It's become apparent that he's best used as a YAC-threat rather than a pure deep-ball artist, though. Nagy was never able to fully capitalize on Worthy's playmaking ability, but KC's offense under Bieniemy was much more predicated on creating openings in space for its weapons.

Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) runs the ball against the Indianapolis Colts during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

3. Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes has had two of his worst statistical seasons in the NFL under Nagy. He returned to MVP form this past year, not in terms of production really, but rather through his workload and how solely dependent the team was on him to create offense. In the past, under Bieniemy, that meant extending plays and buying time to spring his receivers open downfield.

This season, it meant taking off repeatedly himself. That burden on Mahomes to make plays with his legs ultimately led to him tearing his ACL. Having Bieniemy back to coach up the Chiefs' downfield weapons on how to find space and react to their quarterback's scrambling might just be the best thing for Mahomes' prospects in the latter half of his career.

Chiefs Kingdom, keep up with Eric Bieniemy's second stint with KC by keeping that browser right here. And don’t forget to sign up for a FREE newsletter, with all the latest analysis emailed each day …SIGN UP HERE NOW.