Report: Texans formally request to interview Chiefs’ Bieniemy. So let’s take inventory
Better late than never if you’re keeping vigil over The Eric Bieniemy Situation.
The Houston Texans were one of six teams in search for a head coach last week, but they didn’t request to interview the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator.
Well, Houston officially entered the fray Tuesday with a formal request to interview Bieniemy, the NFL Network reports.
There’s a catch, however.
The window to interview Bieniemy closed Sunday, the final day of Wild Card Weekend. According to the NFL Network, the Texans now must wait for the Chiefs to lose in the postseason or delay their interview with Bieniemy until after Super Bowl LV, should the Chiefs advance this weekend and next.
Bieniemy is widely regarded as one of the top candidates in the NFL’s current head-coach hiring cycle. He was fully engaged in interviews last week, having reportedly met with the Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions. Of those teams, the Falcons and Jets confirmed their interviews.
The Philadelphia Eagles on Monday fired another former Andy Reid and Chiefs assistant, Doug Pederson, opening yet another head-coaching vacancy. It remains to be seen if the Eagles will also request to interview Bieniemy.
This marks the third straight year that Bieniemy has interviewed for vacant head-coaching jobs.
Given an opportunity to make a sales pitch for his offensive coordinator, Reid didn’t hesitate to lend his endorsement.
“I think he’s top-notch,” Reid said of Bieniemy on Jan. 4. “At the risk of being redundant, I have not seen many guys that are as great a leader as he is of men, and in this business, that’s huge.
“You’re never going to have to worry about Eric Bieniemy, never — on the field, off the field. He’s going to be honest with you and straightforward, and then he knows the offense. So those are all important things.”
The Chiefs return to action Sunday afternoon following a first-round playoff bye, hosting the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Divisional Round at Arrowhead Stadium.
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Report: Texans formally request to interview Chiefs’ Bieniemy. So let’s take inventory."
