Eric Bieniemy only spent one season with the Chicago Bears, but left quite an impact on the running back room.
D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai provided a one-two punch for a Bears’ running game that finished as the No. 3 rushing unit in the NFL and the top team in the NFC. Bieniemy demanded the best from his position group, always challenging them in practice, and he never shied away from using a curse word or several when coaching his players.
Eric Bieniemy helped Chicago through 2025 as he focuses on future with Chiefs
Under Bieniemy's guidance, Swift reached a career high 1,087 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He also finished as the No. 1 running back in rushing percentage over expected (48.6).
Despite being a seven-round draft pick, Monangai ran for 783 yards and five touchdowns on 169 carries. Monangai finished fifth in rushing yards among rookies.
The Bears achieved plenty of success in 2025, and the run game played a huge role in that. With the Bears’ success, coaches on Ben Johnson's staff have been receiving interest from around the league.
No surprise, Bieniemy was one of them, and he accepted a promotion to be the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator and to reunite with coach Andy Reid. He coached there from 2013 to 2022, serving as the running backs coach and offensive coordinator.
Although Bieniemy is back with the Chiefs, it was a tough decision to leave Chicago.
“A great organization, and it felt like home, and that was the beauty of it,” Bieniemy told reporters over Zoom. “It was really, really tough making this decision, but you know, it was an opportunity to come home, and it was like leaving home.”
Bieniemy calling Chicago home speaks volumes about the atmosphere and team that were built in Johnson's first season as the head coach. As long as the Bears continue to build a competitive roster and hire the right coaches, others will share Bieniemy's thoughts.
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Now the Bears must find their next running backs coach and make the correct hire to ensure the position group doesn't have a letdown going into the 2026 season.