If true, this report could give us an idea in which direction Elway plans on going this offseason at the head coaching position.

In a story by Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, he drops a nugget that many Broncos fans should find very interesting.

Breer states that there is some buzz going around NFL circles that Broncos GM John Elway “has taken a special interest” in the college-type offensive concepts that their division rival Kansas City Chiefs have employed this year.

Here is Breer’s full quote on the subject from his NFL news piece.

9. Denver’s Vance Joseph is under a lot of pressure going forward, and his staff’s handling of the end of the game against Houston is the type of thing that invites scrutiny in a time like that. It’s very fair to say Denver closed up shop once they got to the Texans 37 with 43 seconds left, which shows either too little confidence in the offense or too much confidence in kicker Brandon McManus. Either way, McManus missed a 51-yarder at the gun, which left the Broncos 3–6. And that with some buzz starting circulate in NFL circles that GM John Elway has taken a special interest in the kinds of college concepts his division rival Chiefs have employed, which could be a tip to his plans for January, if things keep going this way.

Breer goes on to state the obvious and criticize current Head Coach Vance Joseph’s handling of last Sunday’s game vs. the Texans. Joseph is clearly on the hot seat and GM John Elway’s lukewarm’s comments about him didn’t help his case. He told Orange and Blue 760 that “At this point in time, we’re going to stay the course”.

“At this point in time, we’re going to stay the course. I think there’s enough good things that are going on as far as us and the way that we’re playing,” Elway said. “I’m much more encouraged this year than I was last year.”

The next piece of Breer’s paragraph is the most interesting part. He states that there is some buzz starting circulate in NFL circles that GM John Elway has taken a “special interest in the kinds of college concepts his division rival Chiefs have employed”.

If true, this is some big-time news for the Broncos future and potentially lays out some Head Coaching candidates for them. The big one that instantly comes to mind is the man who currently has a hands on role with the Kansas City Chiefs offense. That person being Chiefs Offensive Coordinator, Eric Bieniemy.

His offense is currently 3rd in total yards per game(433.4 yards per game), 3rd is passing yards per game(315.9 yards per game), and tops in the league at scoring with 36.3 points per game. He also has first-year starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes on pace for over 50 touchdowns this season.

Now, Bieniemy doesn’t call the plays on game days for the Chiefs, but he certainly plays a key role in the game-planning and so on throughout the week while also being the man in Mahomes ear during the game.

Reid calls the offensive plays while Bieniemy helps assemble the playbook and weekly game plans and runs the offensive meetings. He’s also the voice in Mahomes’ ear through the headset on game days relaying the playcalls.

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid has a long list of coordinator’s who have turned into Head Coaches under his tutelage throughout his career, and Bieniemy may be the next. Reid in a recent interview raved about Bieniemy and how he trusts him and has full confidence in his ability.

“Quarterback is a detailed position,” Reid said. “... It’s very easy to go, ‘Ah, we can let that one slide.’ That’s [not] how [Bieniemy] goes about it. He’s going to make sure everything is covered. I trust him for that. I can’t be there every second. He jumps in and just takes charge and I have full confidence in him so I can go be the head coach and he can run the offense. He does a heck of a job with it. When he brings it, he’s bringing it and it’s every day. He doesn’t let one thing slide. ... This is him. It’s attention to detail and ‘I’m going to make sure my closet is clean and your closet better be clean, too. If not I’m going to help you clean it.’”

This sounds like the type of coach General Manager John Elway may key in on this offseason if/when they fire current Head Coach Vance Joseph. I mean, who better to bring in than the guy who helps assemble the Chiefs playbook, the weekly game plans, and runs the Chiefs offensive meetings?

This move would obviously be a risky one since Bieniemy has no Head Coaching experience, no play calling experience at the NFL level, and only has been an Offensive Coordinator for one year at the NFL level, but he makes sense if Elway goes down this road.

What also may help Bieniemy is his ties to Colorado. Since becoming General Manager of the Broncos, John Elway has brought in a good amount of coaches/executives/players who have ties with Elway and/or Colorado/Broncos/surrounding colleges.

He was an accomplished running back at Colorado during his college career and had two coaching stints with the college as well. He served as their Running Back’s coach from 2001 through 2002 and was their Offensive Coordinator from 2011 through 2012 before joining the Chiefs offensive staff as a Running Back’s coach. So this would be a popular hire within the city and a familiar name with many Broncos fans as well which is always a plus.

Now, Bieniemy isn’t the only potential head coaching candidate to fit this profile but makes the most sense going off Breer’s report. Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley is another interesting name to watch here as well, but he is probably a longshot and potentially a favorite for the Cleveland Browns job.

So what do you think Broncos Country? What do you think about Eric Bieniemy potentially being in the running for the Broncos Head Coaching job? Who else do you think would make sense?