The Kansas City Chiefs’ decision on Monday to hire Chicago Bears running backs coach Eric Bieniemy for a second stint as the team’s offensive coordinator was largely met with fanbase skepticism. After missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, many observers hoped for a coordinator from outside of head coach Andy Reid’s inner circle.
Bieniemy will replace Matt Nagy, who was a finalist to be named head coach of the Tennessee Titans before the job was awarded to former San Francisco 49ers’
defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
While Bieniemy returning to a post he held from 2018-22 may be an uninspired, familiarity-based hire, Kansas City’s other reported hire on Monday could not be more different. The Chiefs are reportedly hiring longtime NFL wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea to replace Conner Embree, whom the team parted with at the position on January 7.
Although O’Shea got his NFL start under head coach Dick Vermeil’s Chiefs in 2003, he has no prior experience with Reid. O’Shea’s first stint as a wide receivers coach did come with the 2007 Minnesota Vikings, who were coached by former Reid disciple Brad Childress. From there, however, he has been largely detached from Reid’s coaching tree.
Notably, O’Shea spent a decade coaching wideouts for the New England Patriots from 2009-18, a tenure that included three Super Bowl wins.
Most recently, O’Shea spent six seasons as the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Cleveland Browns under head coach Kevin Stefanski. Although Stefanski and his staff were fired after the season, the head coach was almost instantly tapped to lead the Atlanta Falcons.
So, the Chiefs add an accomplished assistant from outside the scheme who last worked under one of the most in-demand candidates this cycle. The move was well outside of recent tendencies.
Since originally promoting Bieniemy in 2018, Reid has valued continuity in his staff. He often elevated or shifted assignments for existing assistants to fill offensive vacancies. Embree was promoted after two seasons spent as the team’s offensive quality control coach, traditionally a stepping off point in Reid’s hierarchy for more lucrative posts. Embree’s successor in his original position, Dan Williams, was named on Monday as one of the wide receivers coaches for this year’s Senior Bowl. Given the Chiefs’ recent tendencies, it would not have been surprising for an assistant like Williams to be promoted.
The Chiefs also could have made another veteran, familiarity hire at the position by rehiring Greg Lewis, who coached the team’s wideouts from 2017-2020 (and the running backs the next two seasons). Lewis left Kansas City for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and is presumably available after longtime coach John Harbaugh was fired on January 6.
Reid appears to have recognized the need for a new voice in the wide receiver room, given the importance of this offseason for recent draft picks Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. 2026 will mark Rice’s final opportunity to show he can consistently play to his tantalizing potential before his rookie contract expires. The Chiefs will also need to decide on Worthy’s fifth-year option after next season.
O’Shea may also mark a shifting priority for Reid, who will coach the 2026 season at 68 years old. Seeking a veteran assistant from outside of his circle may signal that, in the final few seasons of his career, Reid is less interested in developing assistants and more urgently seeking instant results.
The Chiefs also have an opening for their running backs coach after parting with incumbent Todd Pinkston last week. Their process for filling the vacancy will be intriguing.
The team’s assistant running backs coach from 2025, Mark DeLeone, does not currently appear on the Chiefs’ website’s rundown of coaches and is presumably not a candidate. Deland McCullough, Kansas City’s running backs coach from 2018-20, coached with the Las Vegas Raiders last season and would appear a reunion candidate after another housecleaning in the desert.
Monday’s moves suggest not to be surprised if the Chiefs simply bring McCullough back to his old position — or again go outside of the system to bring in a proven, veteran coach.
Another question is if O’Shea will maintain the passing game coordinator title he had in Cleveland. Joe Bleymaier has held the role since 2023. Should fellow former Delaware player Nagy take another job, however, Bleymaier may be among the more likely assistants to follow.
