Commanders OC Eric Bieniemy reveals the biggest factor to having success in his offense

Eric Bieniemy, who helped lead the Chiefs to two Super Bowls, is bringing a bunch of details to his new job as offensive coordinator of the Commanders.

Mainly, he emphasizes details during workouts. Observers at Commanders minicamp noticed everything Bieniemy obsessed about. And even the new coordinator himself acknowledged he’s a detail guy from the conception of the play to how it’s played out on the field.

“The thing I always stress is that I want us to have a sense of urgency and sense of purpose,” Bieniemy told reporters. “Getting out of the huddle is probably the most important thing because you’re setting a tone to the defense. I’m always critical of that. Then I want us to execute our jobs with greater attention to detail.”

The Commanders will need more than just a commanding presence breaking the huddle to improve their offense. Washington ranked 20th in the NFL last season in total offense with 330 yards per game. Scoring ranked 24th at 18.8 points a game. The Commanders wanted to run the ball more than most teams, but their rush offense ranked 28th out of 32 teams. Here’s some more context. Washington hasn’t ranked in the top 10 in total offense since 2016.

Eric Bieniemy isn’t tolerating low effort with Commanders

So Eric Bieniemy has work to do. And every offensive player knows his thoughts. He likes to bellow commands at practice. ESPN reported that Bieniemy came charging up to a drill after he noticed that Jahan Dotson, the Commanders’ first-round pick in 2022, wasn’t running full speed during a pass drill.

“This is not no half-ass drill; run it again!” Bieniemy yelled. So Dotson did it again, but at the appropriate speed.

He was particularly not pleased with the first-team offense during a full-team drill. It was only the second play of the team session. But quarterback Sam Howell dropped a shotgun snap. Bieniemy whistled, then benched the first team and brought in the 2’s. Don’t get it right in Bieniemy’s world? Then take a seat.

The Commanders were able to lure away Eric Bieniemy from the Chiefs, in part, because the team also offered him assistant head coach. Ron Rivera is a defensive guy at heart, so the head coach can turn over the offense to Bieniemy and let him run it his way. At Kansas City, Andy Reid was the head coach who called most plays. However, Bieniemy created the offensive game plan.

It all worked since the Chiefs were the top offense in 2022. And Kansas City also had some of the league’s top talent on offense with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

So maybe Eric Bieniemy captures that same magic with the Commanders. It’s definitely a major plotline for the 2023 season.