The Kansas City Chiefs decided to turn back the clock a bit. The last time they were very successful, at their peak, winning multiple Super Bowls, Eric Bieniemy was the offensive coordinator. Sure, Matt Nagy won one, too, but the most successful period was with Bieniemy.

They decided to bring him back, and in doing so, a theme of the offseason has emerged. Accountability. You may have heard the team, the media, and even fans say it a million times, but it really resonates with the team. They kind of lost that accountability, which is normal. So, they brought back one of the few guys who can always make sure it’s there.

“There’s a standard that you have to practice with, and you have to play with,” Patrick Mahomes said on Thursday. “He’s(Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy) going to hold you to that standard, no matter who you are. From the first guy to the 90th guy right now, he’s going to hold you to that standard. I think that’s something – it’s hard to replicate, I think that’s the best way to say it. A lot of these guys haven’t had an EB. They understand it, and honestly, I think it’s been cool.”

#Chiefs Patrick Mahomes & Trey Smith say players unfamiliar with Eric Bieniemy haven't seen the real EB yet. But they've quickly learned how much energy the new OC brings to KC.

"That first meeting had me ready to run through a brick wall. It had me ready to go." – QB1 pic.twitter.com/5SK6lsOOyz

— Matt Foster (@MattFosterTV) May 28, 2026

This team is very different than the one the Chiefs had under Bieniemy. He last coached with the Chiefs in the 2022 season. Since being gone, Bieniemy has coached with the Washington Commanders as their OC and then went to UCLA to help one of his good friends coach the Bruins. Then he went on to coach under Ben Johnson with the Chicago Bears as their running backs coach. He completely turned their run game around, too.

Now he’s back, and there are so many faces on this team that he doesn’t know. So much has changed, and so many players are about to get the best kind of coaching you can get.

Patrick Mahomes and Trey Smith send warning to new Chiefs players regarding Eric Bieniemy

“They still haven’t seen EB (Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy) yet,” Mahomes continued. “I’m not going to say he’s taking it easy; he’s pushing the guys, but he holds them to a standard. They haven’t had those days – it’s usually training camp when guys get tired, and they lose that will to finish and do all the exact right things, and that’s when EB’s going to hold you to that standard.

“We haven’t gotten there yet. I love it, man, I truly do. The way he carries himself, with the confidence that he carries himself with, really focuses you in on what you’re learning and the little details of things. It’s been exciting to me, that first meeting had me wanting to run through a brick wall, it had me ready to go.”

The Chiefs needed someone to come in and turn this thing around, whether that was fixing the run game or fixing work habits. Bienimey is coming in to completely change the vibe of this team within the team.

“Get it together, or he’ll get you together,” Trey Smith told reporters. “He’s going to coach you hard, but it’s coming out of a place of love.”

The Chiefs will be better off with Bieniemy, not just in offensive efficiency.