Bengals coach has a fantastic opportunity to help himself and Cincinnati at the Senior Bowl
Cincinnati’s assistant offensive line coach Michael McCarthy will be coaching o-linemen at the 2026 Senior Bowl.
When the Super Bowl matchup is determined and the two-week buildup begins, you know it’s time for the Senior Bowl.
The Cincinnati Bengals will take their recently-reformed scouting department down to Mobile, AL this week to observe plenty of 2026 NFL Draft prospects practice against one another over the course of a few days. Members of the coaching staff will also be on-site, and one in particular will be directly working with the players.
Bengals assistant offensive line coach to take reigns of Senior Bowl o-line group
Bengals assistant offensive line coach Michael McCarthy will be one of three offensive line coaches working with the National roster.
There are 11 offensive linemen on the National roster, including seven tackles, and four interior players. They are as follows:
- Boise State OT Kage Casey
- Texas A&M OT Dametrious Crownover
- Iowa OT Gennings Dunker
- Kentucky G Jalen Farmer
- Kansas State C Samuel Hecht
- Maryland OT Alan Herron
- Dartmouth OT Delby Lemieux
- Georgia Tech G Keylan Rutledge
- Iowa G Beau Stephens
- Washington OT Carver Willis
- Texas A&M OT Trey Zuhn III
McCarthy will get to work with all of them throughout the week, and can provide insight to the Bengals’ personnel staff.
That’s how he can help Cincinnati. He can also help himself in the process as well.
McCarthy can cut his teeth and progress toward becoming a head OL coach
The Senior Bowl coaching staffs are comprised of NFL position coaches who are taking on larger roles. National team head coach Clint Hurtt is the defensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. The defensive coordinator, David Overstreet II, is the secondary/cornerbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
Every coach wants to eventually be promoted, and for McCarthy, being the head OL coach for a week in Mobile is an opportunity to show other clubs he can lead one of the most important rooms in the building.
McCarthy was hired by Cincinnati along with OL Scott Peters last year. McCarthy coached under Peters with the New England patriots in 2024, so Peters brought his assistant with him to his new gig in 2025.
Peters isn’t going anywhere, especially not after the Bengals’ OL experienced major growth during his first year. McCarthy’s chances of advancing his career hinge on making the most of opportunities like the one he’s set to take on this week.
Cincinnati and the rest of the NFL will be watching how his players perform in the premier college all-star week.