Report: Eric Bieniemy, Robert Saleh to Interview for Falcons, Lions HC Openings

Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh are expected to interview for a couple of head coaching jobs this week.

The Atlanta Falcons will reach out to Bieniemy about their vacancy, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Saleh will speak with the Falcons as well.

Per The MMQB's Albert Breer and CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora, the Detroit Lions plan to interview both Bieniemy and Saleh.

Bieniemy is the architect of Kansas City's potent offense, making him a logical candidate for a team looking to improve on that side of the ball.

Having Patrick Mahomes inevitably makes any coach look good to some extent, but the Chiefs aren't explosive simply because they have a lot of talent. Bieniemy and Andy Reid think outside the box to keep opposing teams on their toes.

The Chiefs earned a bye for the Wild Card Round, so Bieniemy can begin speaking with other teams.

San Francisco's season ended Sunday with a 26-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, thus freeing up time for Saleh to pursue outside opportunities.

The 41-year-old has served in his current role for four seasons. During that time, the Niners have ranked 26th, 24th, second and sixth (entering Sunday) in defensive efficiency, per Football Outsiders.

Those first two years were shaky, but Saleh eventually turned San Francisco into one of the NFL's best defensive teams. He might be doing his best work in 2020, too, given how many players have been lost to injury for some or most of the campaign.

The Falcons moved on from Dan Quinn in October. Prior to coaching Atlanta, Quinn had been a defensive coordinator, so it's a little surprising the organization is considering going back to that well again.

Having said that, the Falcons won't be going anywhere as long as they're allowing 392.6 yards per game, which was fifth-most in the league entering Week 17. The team just surrendered 485 yards and 44 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a defeat Sunday.

As impressive as Saleh's resume might be, Falcons fans might wind up disappointed if the franchise misses out on Bieniemy. Imagine what he could do with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley.

Detroit, meanwhile, parted ways with coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn in late November following a 4-7 start. The team responded by winning its next game but finished the season with four consecutive losses.