Bengals Insider Gives Excellent Breakdown Of The Two Defensive Coordinator Candidates
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The main storyline surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals this week has been their search for a defensive coordinator. After Lou Anarumo’s firing by the Bengals and hiring by the Indianapolis Colts, the team is currently searching for a fresh start.
The search appears to be down to two candidates.
The #Bengals are down to 2 finalists for their DC position, per multiple reports.
Patrick Graham and Al Golden. 🐅 pic.twitter.com/9pP7TN9lO9
— WINCINNATI (@WINCINNATI_) January 16, 2025
What does each candidate offer? Graham, the current Raiders’ defensive coordinator, and Golden, the current Notre Dame defensive coordinator, were both given excellent breakdowns by Joe Goodberry (which can be seen here and include plenty of film) in his latest episode of Bengals On The Brain.
While Lou Anarumo seemed to implement a Bend, Don’t Break system, Goodberry mentioned that Graham employed a system of bringing pressure and winning in the trenches. With players like Maxx Crosby and Christian Wilkins, Graham was able to maintain a slightly above-average run defense in Las Vegas, even in the midst of Wilkins missing the majority of the season. Golden, on the other hand, was Goodberry’s preferred choice due to his experience in the Bengals’ system, and his thriving because of simplicity in his secondary strong communication. Golden’s system was a big reason why Notre Dame had one of college football’s top defenses in 2024.
While Anarumo had a defensive system that specialized in confusing opponents, it occasionally led to confusion amongst his own defense. Whenever the communication broke down, opponents could make big plays as a result. The idea for either Graham or Golden would be to retain a level of the complexity that made Anarumo an occasional defensive mastermind, but make things easier for his players.
Goodberry’s breakdown of the top candidates reveals the Bengals are looking for a fresh start on defense, and that involves getting back to basics. The top two candidates’ systems are simple enough that a rebuild of the Bengals’ struggling defense can go smoothly, but it’s not too simple to the point that opponents’ film sessions can’t be done in three minutes. With the development of younger players having been a major issue over the past three seasons, simplifying the scheme can help players like Dax Hill and Myles Murphy adjust to the pros in the face of their early-career ups and downs.
The Bengals have enough veteran talent like Trey Hendrickson, Mike Hilton, and B.J. Hill to guide the young players into their new coordinator’s system. No matter who they hire, it will be a much needed rebirth of the Bengals defense, and Goodberry’s breakdown demonstrates that perfectly.
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