The Chicago Bears are adding a long-time Andy Reid as an assistant to their offensive staff under Ben Johnson.
The Bears are hiring Eric Bieneimy as the team’s running backs coach, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported on Saturday.
The team will also retain tight ends coach Jim Dray, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Bieneimy was seen as the next have-to-have NFL head coach prospect at one point. He was the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator under Andy Reid from 2018 to 2022, taking the mantle after Matt Nagy departed Kansas City to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.
Under Bieneimy, the Chiefs’ offense took the NFL by storm as he began the first of seven-straight AFC Championship game appearances for Kansas City
Bieneimy was seen as a head coach in the NFL, but departed the Chiefs after winning a second Super Bowl following Kansas City’s 38-35 win over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
He took over as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders under Ron Rivera, but was not retained after Rivera was fired. Bieneimy then took the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator position at UCLA, but was let go after one season.
Now, he’ll oversee the Bears’ running back room. He was previously the Chiefs’ running backs coach from 2013 to 2017, and the Minnesota Vikings running backs coach from 2006 to 2010.
The Bears also retained Dray, meaning the coach who helped Cole Kmet earn an extension with the Bears will remain in Chicago.
After only catching two touchdowns in his first season in Chicago, Kmet has caught 17 touchdowns in the last three seasons. The Bears will most likely overhaul the tight end room this offseason, giving Dray more opportunities to work with a different room.
