Could Matt Nagy return to Chiefs as Eric Bieniemy’s replacement?

If Eric Bieniemy and the Kansas City Chiefs go their separate ways, expect for former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy to be at the front of the line to be their next offensive coordinator.

Eric Bieniemy may have coached his last game as the Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, opening the door for Matt Nagy to return to Arrowhead.

Supposed friction between Bieniemy and starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes may lead to the offensive coordinator’s departure. Bieniemy does not have a new deal to come back to the Chiefs. He is keeping his options open, as he could join another coaching staff, college or pro, or simply spend the year out of football as a means to regroup. That means Nagy could be coming back.

Nagy would be among the top candidates to replace Bieniemy as the Chiefs offensive coordinator.

KC Chiefs: Could Matt Nagy replace Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator?

With it being this late into the offseason cycle, there is not a lot the Chiefs can do to effectively replace Bieniemy as offensive coordinator if he and Kansas City part ways. Promoting from within would make sense, but their top internal candidate in former quarterbacks coach Mike Kafka has skipped town to be the new offensive coordinator on Brian Daboll’s first New York Giants staff.

Another guy the Chiefs could look at is Kentucky Wildcats offensive coordinator Liam Coen. He hails from the Sean McVay coaching tree. Coen quietly turned the Kentucky offense into one of the better passing attacks upon arrival in Lexington. While he has the makings of a future head coach, it remains to be seen if that will be at the college or pro level for him. He is in a good spot for now.

And that leads us back to Nagy. After failing as the former Chicago Bears head coach, Nagy could very well return to Kansas City and work alongside Andy Reid again. Prior to getting the Bears job, Reid was Nagy’s kingmaker getting into coaching from their days with the Philadelphia Eagles. Though Reid will probably call plays, Nagy’s familiarity with all things Chiefs is a massive boost.

Ultimately, it is never wise to reach into one’s past to solve a present or future problem. One could argue that would be the case by bringing Nagy back into the fold. However, he is not the same coach he was leaving Kansas City four years ago. He now has an Olympiad of valuable head-coaching experience. If Bieniemy walks, expect for Nagy to be the first coach Reid will be calling.

To solve instability, look for the Chiefs to bring one of their own back into the coaching family.