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The Chicago Bears have already made a major splash in their offseason when they hired Ben Johnson as their new head coach. The former Lions offensive coordinator was rated as the lead head coaching candidate for teams that needed new sideline bosses and the Bears were able to secure his services shortly after Detroit’s season came to an end.
Sources: The #Bears are hiring former #Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy as their new running backs coach.
The respected veteran coach and 2x Super Bowl champion will bring a wealth of experience to Ben Johnson’s new staff in Chicago. pic.twitter.com/35jL5ds343
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) February 1, 2025
In the days following Johnson’s hiring, the Bears have been filling out the coaching staff. The latest move saw Johnson bring in Eric Bieniemy as the team’s running back coach. Bieniemy served as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at UCLA last season, although most of his previous coaching experience has been at the NFL level.
At one point in his career, Bieniemy was seen as one of the hottest assistant coaches in the NFL and viewed as a likely head coach. That opportunity never materialized for Bieniemy, but he is a hard working and tough-minded coach with something of a warrior’s personality.
Bieniemy served as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs under head coach Andy Reid. He also was the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders during the head coaching reign of Ron Rivera.
The Bears endured a disastrous 2024 season when much was expected at the start of the year. They selected quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick in last year’s NFL Draft, and the Bears got off to a 4-2 start.
However, they would not win another game until they edged the Green Bay Packers in the final game of the season. The Bears fired Matt Eberflus in late November after a series of late-game failures and they interviewed multiple candidates before the Lions were eliminated in the divisional playoff by the Commanders. They were able to hire Johnson days after that shocking Detroit loss.
Johnson is considered one of the most creative offensive minds in the game, he clearly excels at building a high-powered passing game. However, he also wants to make sure that Williams does not have to carry the offense on his shoulders, so it’s essential that the Bears improve their running game.
Bieniemy should be able to help the Bears become more productive in this area, but they may need to make some key personnel moves at the running back position if they are going to run the ball consistently.
D’Andre Swift led the Bears with 959 rushing yards last season, but his 3.8 yards per carry average was an issue. Swift had just 5 running plays of 20 yards or more for the Bears.
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