Eric Bieniemy challenges Chiefs’ offensive coaching staff to get Josh Gordon more involved
After three weeks with the Kansas City Chiefs, new WR Josh Gordon has less than 20 snaps on offense and only one target in the passing game.
The coaching staff in Kansas City didn’t want to put any expectations on Gordon when he signed with the team, but so far he has struggled to contribute in a meaningful way. He remains buried on the depth chart heading into Week 7, with no clarity as to why he hasn’t been able to get more involved on offense.
Asked what is the greatest obstacle to getting Gordon more involved, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy challenged himself and others on the coaching staff to do a better job getting him prepared to play and contribute on game day.
“Probably us as coaches,” Bieniemy told reporters. “We just need to make sure we’re putting him out there and getting him comfortable out there as a player. And making sure that he’s understanding exactly what’s going on. But the only way he is going to learn is to go out there and make a mistake every now and then. And that’s OK because if he does make a mistake, I guarantee you, he won’t repeat that mistake.”
After losing to the Buffalo Bills on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 5, the primary focus of the coaching staff was to get Kansas City back in the win column. Gordon played nine snaps in Week 6, with the majority of his snaps as a blocker. Four times he actually ran a route, and he got open a few times, but Mahomes didn’t look his way.
Gordon didn’t make any discernable mistakes to the naked eye, but clearly, there is a comfort level that isn’t quite there yet. It speaks to the chemistry between Gordon and Mahomes, but it also speaks to the Chiefs’ offensive coaches not designing things to specifically get him more involved. That’s not to say he hasn’t been working or the coaching staff hasn’t been doing a good job with Gordon, just that there remains plenty of room for improvement from a schematic standpoint.
“That kid has been working his tail off,” Bieniemy said. “I’ll say this again, we just need to make sure we’re getting him more involved. Joe (Bleymaier) has done a great job with him. He’s been practicing his tail off and it’s just up to us to make sure that he’s getting the necessary reps that he needs on game day.”
I think it’s safe to say that we can expect more from Gordon moving forward. With a season-ending injury to tight end Jody Fortson, Gordon’s size is could be something the Chiefs lean on in the red zone. He could even have a bit of a coming-out party in Week 7 against a beat-up Tennessee Titans secondary.
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First injury report for Chiefs vs. Titans, Week 7
