Philadelphia Eagles: 7 head coaching candidates to watch
Should the Philadelphia Eagles dip back into the Andy Reid coaching tree?
Eric Bieniemy – Chiefs Offensive Coordinator
As mentioned with Bowles, Lurie values coaches who have worked under Andy Reid and who’ll get the Reid stamp of approval. After the Eagles hired Pederson away from the Chiefs, it was Matt Nagy who attended the Andy Reid school of coaching. After the Bears hired Nagy coming off the 2017 season, it was Eric Bieniemy who came in and has helped oversee one of the best offenses in football.
With the Andy Reid pedigree, a Super Bowl ring, and the history of coaching Patrick Mahomes, Eric Bieniemy appears to be the next Chiefs’ assistant in line to be a head coach.
Bieniemy, a former NFL running back, played one season in Philadelphia with limited snaps in 1999.
Bieniemy has been interviewed in years past, but by all indications, it appears that this will be the year he gets a job. All of the teams that he’s interviewed with this year (Lions, Falcons, Jaguars, Chargers, and Jets) either recently drafted or are expected to draft a quarterback.
While Reid is the offensive mastermind leading the Chiefs, Bieniemy has had a chance to call plays and develop an MVP caliber quarterback. Mahomes has backed his coach up, saying teams would be crazy not to hire him. He’ll certainly be on the Eagles’ shortlist and a serious candidate if another team further along in the process doesn’t pick him up first.
Mike Kafka – Chiefs quarterback coach/former Eagles quarterback
Mike Kafka‘s name was thrown out early in the Eagles’ head coaching search, given his connection to Reid and Philadelphia. Kafka was drafted in the fourth round in 2010 by the Eagles but played only four games in a single season as a backup to Michael Vick.
Kafka bounced around the league for years and never started an NFL game, but like many backup quarterbacks, he’s developed into an up-and-coming coach.
After a season with Northwestern as a graduate assistant, Kafka joined Reid’s staff in 2017 as a quality control coach. He’s spent the last three years as the Chiefs’ quarterback coach and was also given the title of passing game coordinator.
Kafka does have limited experience calling plays and has only been a coach for three years. It’ll be the Reid stamp of approval that gets him a head coaching job, whether it be this year or down the road.
If Bieniemy is hired this offseason, Kafka likely moves up to offensive coordinator in Kansas City. He’d likely get an opportunity to call plays and build up his resume. I’d expect him to be up for a head coaching job in a year or two if he doesn’t get one this year.