Assessing which popular Bengals defensive coordinator candidates make sense to replace Lou Anarumo
For the first time in six years, the Cincinnati Bengals will begin searching for a new defensive coordinator after the firing of Lou Anarumo. It took Zac Taylor (unofficially) nearly two months to hire Anarumo back in 2019. Many of his top choices turned down the opportunity to join a rookie head coach who ended up […]
For the first time in six years, the Cincinnati Bengals will begin searching for a new defensive coordinator after the firing of Lou Anarumo.
It took Zac Taylor (unofficially) nearly two months to hire Anarumo back in 2019. Many of his top choices turned down the opportunity to join a rookie head coach who ended up being way in over his head to start out.
Now with several years of experience, organizational stability, and a bonafide franchise quarterback, finding a DC should be a lot easier this time around. The question is, who's the best for the job?
Upon scouring who everyone in and around Cincinnati has their eyes on, I formulated some takes on the popular—not necessarily the most realistic—candidates for the job and put them in three distinct groups.
Recently fired head coaches
- Dennis Allen (former New Orleans Saints head coach)
- Jerod Mayo (former New England Patriots head coach)
- Robert Saleh (former New York Jets head coach)
Allen: Before taking over as head coach of the Saints, Allen's name was thrown into the mix during the Bengals' DC search in 2019. He ultimately stayed in New Orleans to become Sean Payton's heir for almost three full seasons. There's some history with Trey Hendrickson at play here as well. Allen's a proven defensive mind and circling back to him now would be a solid move.
Mayo: Patriots owner Robert Kraft put the blame on himself for firing Mayo after one year as he felt he set himself up for failure. Whether that's true or not, he did spend five years as a defensive assistant under Bill Belichick. It's tough to judge his defense due to how bad the roster was. They did beat the Week 1 Bengals, but that's hardly an accomplishment nowadays. I'm indifferent here but could be talked into it.
Saleh: A proven defensive mind who would probably love to fall back into a good culture, Saleh looks like the best of the recently-fired bunch. He was dynamite as the defensive play-caller for the San Francisco 49ers before going back home to New York and eventually having to carry Zach Wilson and the unfriendly ghost of Aaron Rodgers. Complementing Joe Burrow's offense would be a much easier task, one that Saleh should be salivating over.
Would-be first-time NFL defensive coordinators
- Jim Leonhard (Denver Broncos pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach)
- Steve Clinkscale (Los Angeles Chargers defensive backs coach)
- Aubrey Pleasant (Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator/assistant head coach)
Leonhard: It wasn't too long ago Leonhard wrapped up a 10-year playing career as an NFL safety, including brief stints with two AFC North teams. Two years later he became the defensive backs coach at his alma mater, Wisconsin. He was promoted to defensive coordinator a year after that, and kept the job until he was promoted to interim head coach during the middle of the 2022 season. He finally made the leap to the NFL this past year and it won't be long until he's calling plays at this level. I'd be all over this hire.
Clinkscale: One of many coaches who left Michigan for Jim Harbaugh's Chargers last year, Clinkscale has gotten a lot out of Los Angeles' secondary in his year on the job. It's a group he's never coached before, but should he take over Cincinnati's entire defense, he'll be back working with players he's developed in Dax Hill and DJ Turner II. Clinkscale's lone year of DC experience came at the University of Cincinnati in 2015, one year before Taylor had his lone year of being the OC for the Bearcats.
Pleasant: Much like Leonhard, Pleasant is also a former Wisconsin safety who's worked his way up the coaching hierarchy in the defensive backfield. He originally joined the Rams' staff the same year Taylor was hired on in 2017 and was requested to interview for the Bengals DC gig in 2019. Sean McVay gave him head coaching duties for their second preseason game this past year. He's destined for a promotion, and joining Taylor's staff several years later would make a lot of sense.
Coaches with past Bengals connections
- Al Golden (Notre Dame defensive coordinator)
- Daronte Jones (Minnesota Vikings pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach)
- Mike Zimmer (Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator)
Golden: Many believe Golden is an early favorite for the gig and I can see why. He's been a DC for eight of his 32 years of coaching, and was a head coach for even longer at the college level. He was Anarumo's linebackers coach from 2020-21, overseeing the rise of that unit led by younger versions of Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt. He turned that into a promotion to be Marcus Freeman's DC at Notre Dame, and now they're in the College Football Playoff semifinals. If the Bengals value experience, he's the best candidate with ties to the team.
Jones: Minnesota's defense has been a dominant unit this year under DC Brian Flores, and Jones has done his part coordinating the pass game on that side of the ball. He was on Marvin Lewis' final staff in 2018 and became a holdover for Taylor's initial staff in 2019. He's spent four of the last five years in Minnesota with a one-year hiatus as LSU's DC in 2021. He's received past interest for a DC promotion and that'll likely continue this cycle. I could see an interview here, but again, Golden is a more proven option.
Zimmer: I'm including Zim out of respect, but I don't think he's a realistic choice. Cincinnati's DC from 2008-13 is pondering retirement after getting back into coaching this past season for Dallas. He's knocking on the door of 70 and for as much as Taylor is looking for experience, Anarumo's problem towards the end of his tenure was his disconnect from the younger players. For that reason alone, I wouldn't endorse a return for Zim, if he even wants it to begin with.
Lou Anarumo and Frank Pollack are good coaches, but the Bengals had to let them go no matter what
Cincinnati made the right call with two of their top assistants.
