Three Things the Next Bengals Defensive Coordinator Must Do to be Successful

CINCINNATI — All signs point to Al Golden becoming the Bengals next defensive coordinator.

Golden coached Notre Dame's defense in Monday night's National Championship Game against Ohio State and is considered the favorite to replace Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati.

There are plenty of things the Bengals defense needs to do better in 2025, but here are three things that Golden or any coach hoping to fix the Bengals defense will have to do in Cincinnati to be successful:

Develop Young Talent and In Sync With Front Office

The Bengals need someone that can develop the young players they're going to draft. That could be as simple as getting them on the field.

Guys like Dax Hill, Jordan Battle and Myles Murphy didn't get much playing time in their rookie seasons under Anarumo. That has to change. And it's up to the coaching staff and the front office to be on the same page.

The next Bengals defensive coordinator has to be on board with adding a player like Hill, despite having Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell on the roster. He has to have a plan in place for that top pick and make sure that the player gets on the field to develop.

The same thing goes for a guy like Murphy with proven vets ahead of him (Sam Hubbard).

The Bengals have a bunch of options at cornerback, including Hill, DJ Turner II, Cam Taylor-Britt, Josh Newton and DJ Ivey. If they take a corner in the first round, there better be a plan to get him on the field as a rookie.

The Bengals' front office and coaching staff has to evaluate talent, be on the same page on draft, make a plan for their top prospects and make sure that those guys get time on the field so they can develop and become quality players.

Maximize Current Roster

The next Bengals defensive coordinator has to get the most out of the current roster. Hill, Murphy, Turner, Battle, Taylor-Britt and plenty of other players on this roster have flashed their potential.

Rookies like Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson had their moments. They need to get the most out of these guys—not only to possibly uncover a Pro Bowler or two, but to find quality role players that they can build around.

Most of these guys don't need to be stars, but they do need to be regular contributors that can help be part of a good defense.

Identify Quality Players in Free Agency and the Draft

Golden would have an advantage over a lot of other defensive coordinator candidates in this department. He coached against 19 different ranked teams in three seasons as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator.

That includes three matchups with Ohio State, a College Football Playoff showdown against Georgia, and games against Penn State, USC, Texas A&M and plenty of other schools that regularly produce NFL talent.

Golden should have a good idea about a lot of these draft prospects because he's either coached them, coached against them or seen them on film at some point.

The next Bengals defensive coordinator has to be able to identify talent that fits his scheme and could make an instant impact in their system. At the same time, getting it right in free agency is a big reason why Cincinnati made it to Super Bowl LVI when Golden was their linebackers coach.

Finding guys like Trey Hendrickson, Mike Hilton, Chidobe Awuzie, Vonn Bell and Larry Ogunjobi were all key contributors after signing with Cincinnati in free agency.

Whether it's a veteran on a one-year deal like Ogunjobi or long-term pieces like Hilton and Hendrickson, the Bengals have to identify and sign a few proven pieces on defense in free agency.

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