Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy returns to training camp following wife’s shooting, son’s arrest

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) - Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy returned to training camp and received a warm welcome from both players and his fellow coaches.

Monday’s practice was his first in St. Joseph since he suddenly left to be with his wife, Mia, after she was shot and injured at their home in Virginia on July 26.

“It was good to have EB back, back in full. I don’t think he missed a snap he was out there,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “Listen, I was talking to him several times a day. I knew when he was coming back. The primary thing is that Mia is stable, that she’s doing well.”

The team said Bieniemy remained in touch with the team while he was away and with his family.

“Obviously it’s great to have him back. We missed him and prayed for his family when he was out,” Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton said. “But to have a guy like that come back to the field, man, a competitor — it brings out the best in us.”

Police arrested Bieniemy’s son, 27-year-old Elijah Bieniemy, last Monday after the shooting.

Bieniemy kicks off his second stint as the team’s OC; he previously held the same role from 2018 to 2022.

The Chiefs host the Rams on Saturday, Aug. 15, in their first preseason game. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. CST.