Saints would be wise to grab Eric Bieniemy as OC

Eric Bieniemy walked out of his eight-hour interview with the New Orleans Saints believing the job was his.

The longtime offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, after all, had built an impressive reputation for himself over the past few years. During all four of his seasons in Kansas, Bieniemy’s offense never finished less than sixth. In addition to that, Bieniemy was a key staff member of a Chiefs squad that made four consecutive AFC Championship Games and back-to-back Super Bowls.

Also, from a philosophical standpoint, it seemed to make sense. In Sean Payton’s decade and a half run with the Saints, they finished number one overall offensively six separate times.

With one offensive mind leaving, it only made sense that another would replace him. Yet, despite what appeared to be a match made in offensive Heaven, New Orleans opted to go in another direction, hiring longtime defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen.

With an overall coaching record of 8-28, the Saints could find out that employing Allen may have been an erroneous move. Still, while it will take some time before we’re able to come to a full conclusion on whether or not it was the right hire, the Saints still have an opportunity to grab Bieniemy anyways.

The Saints need to call Eric Bieniemy for OC vacancy

Currently, the Saints are attempting to make a few internal changes. Pete Carmichael, the Saints offensive coordinator since 2009, will no longer hold that position. He will, however, remain as a member of the team in another capacity.

In all likelihood, according to Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune, Allen’s first move in his new role will be to hire a new offensive coordinator. If Allen is given full autonomy, he should look squarely in the direction of Bieniemy. Not only does the current OC of the Chiefs have a proven track record, but Patrick Mahomes has spoken glowingly about him for years on end.

Ultimately, although Bieniemy expressed an interest in landing the head coaching role with the Saints, he could be enticed to accept the OC position with the franchise instead. Currently, Bieniemy’s contract with the Chiefs is expiring and he could become the most attractive OC in the entire league. Meaning, Allen and the Saints should make the call.