Commanders' Ron Rivera on Eric Bieniemy: 'No Reason He Shouldn't Be' NFL Head Coach

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is the latest NFL figure to back the idea of Eric Bieniemy getting a shot as a head coach.

When asked about Bieniemy on Friday at the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit, Rivera said the following, per Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports: "I will be very blunt about this. There's no reason [Bieniemy] shouldn't be a head coach in the NFL."

The Commanders hired Bieniemy to be their offensive coordinator and primary offensive play-caller this offseason after he spent 10 years on the Kansas City Chiefs coaching staff, including five years as OC.

While Bieniemy was a key member of a coaching staff that helped the Chiefs win two Super Bowls, he never called the plays as offensive coordinator since head coach Andy Reid had those duties.

That perhaps played a role in teams passing him over for head coaching opportunities even though Bieniemy interviewed for several open positions in recent years.

As a result, Bieniemy left Kansas City for Washington to lead an offense on his own, which could open the door for a head coaching job in the future.

Reid has long been an advocate for Bieniemy to become a head coach, and he supported Bieniemy's decision to go to Washington.

Per Jared Bush of Fox 4, Reid said in March that Bieniemy deserved the chance to "run the whole show" on offense and parlay it into a head coaching gig.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who won two NFL MVP awards and two Super Bowl MVP awards under Bieniemy, gave him a glowing review in February, telling Henry McKenna of Fox Sports:

"It's so past deserves, man. He's done everything the right way. He's been a part of this offense and this team for so long, holds everyone accountable, is creative in making up plays for us. I don't know why he hasn't been hired. But it's been great for us, because we've had one of the best coaches in the league with us for way long past due."

Bieniemy broke into the college ranks as an assistant coach in 2001 and has been an NFL assistant since 2006, save for a two-year run as offensive coordinator at the University of Colorado.

He also spent nine seasons in the NFL as a running back from 1991 to 1999, playing for the San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles.

Bieniemy had a ton of talent to work with as the Chiefs' OC, and Washington presents a much bigger challenge.

The Commanders are expected to start 2022 fifth-round pick Sam Howell at quarterback in 2023, which is a far cry from having the best quarterback in the league in Mahomes.

Washington does have some talent around him, though, in wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, and running backs Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.

If Bieniemy can mold the Commanders' offense into a quality unit, it could go a long way toward getting him the head coaching job he has been waiting for.