The Chicago Bears have already announced some impressive additions to new head coach Ben Johnson’s first coaching staff for the 2025 NFL season.
Consider one of Patrick Mahomes’ first NFL mentors as the next in line.
The Bears officially named offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower to their respective posts on Johnson’s staff on January 28, but reports about some of their not-yet-announced assistant hires have also generated buzz.
The latest reported hire, however, might caught the most attention in the end.
According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones , the Bears are hiring former Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as their running backs coach for the 2025 season. He is currently the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator of UCLA’s football program.
Bieniemy built a strong coaching reputation as one of the rising offensive minds on Andy Reid’s coaching staff, beginning in 2013 when Reid hired him as Kansas City’s running backs coach and continuing after he leaped to OC role in 2018.
Bieniemy’s work with Mahomes — who won two MVPs and made five Pro Bowls in five seasons with him — also earned him head coaching looks before he took the Commanders’ OC job with a title bump to assistant head coach in 2023.
Predating his Mahomes connection, Bieniemy also coached another NFL great in Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson during his first four seasons.
Under Bieniemy’s guidance, Peterson had four of the six best seasons of his 15-year career, averaging 1445.5 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in each He was also named a Pro Bowler and All-Pro in all four seasons.
Bieniemy’s long-term coaching experience should benefit a first-time head coach like Johnson in his first season at the helm. The Bears hiring him as a positions coach could also bode well for returning backs D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson — and, perhaps, a rookie from the loaded 2025 draft class.