Watching the Philadelphia Eagles lose in the Super Bowl provides a certain sense of relief among Cowboys Nation. It’s never fun to see a bitter rival win it all.
But a big piece of that Kansas City Chiefs victory is moving to another rival in the NFC East, which should concern the Cowboys plenty.
The Washington Commanders hired former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for the same position, along with the title of assistant head coach. Bieniemy takes the place of Scott Turner, the son of former Cowboys offensive coordinator Norv Turner.
While the move seems lateral for Bieniemy – and perhaps a step down considering the stature of Kansas City – it does open up new opportunities for the longtime assistant. Bieniemy will be in complete control of call plays for Washington, which wasn’t the case on Andy Reid’s staff.
(Here’s more facts on how it’s not a “lateral move.”)
Bottom line for Dallas: Did coach Ron Rivera just give his Commanders staff a way to outwit the Cowboys and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn?
Still, Bieniemy’s experience with Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes has to be a positive for what’s been an anemic Washington attack. The Commanders were near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories last season, including points and yards.
Any uptick obviously impacts the Cowboys and the rest of division. Three NFC East teams made the playoffs, with the New York Giants joining the Eagles and Cowboys. The Commanders, who won the division the previous year, were in the postseason hunt late in the season.
If Bieniemy can make a difference in a critical year for Washington coach Ron Rivera, the road in arguably the league’s toughest division is suddenly harder. The Cowboys split the season series with Washington, with the loss coming in a meaningless regular season finale.
The Chiefs routinely led the league in numerous offensive categories during Bieniemy’s five-year run as offensive coordinator. Washington can only hope some of the magic rubs off.
The addition of Bieniemy isn’t the only big change in the NFC East. Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is now with the Los Angeles Chargers, with Brian Schottenheimer taking over as the new coordinator. Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy will handle play-calling. The Eagles lost both coordinators to head-coaching positions on other teams.
Is change good? The NFC East is about to find out.
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