Illustration by David Leutert
Al Golden, the new defensive coordinator for the Bengals and just about the most important person in town this fall, never really left Cincinnati. He was the team’s linebackers coach during the Super Bowl run in 2021, then was hired to become DC at Notre Dame. But his family stayed behind, his son playing football at St. Xavier and his two daughters attending Summit Country Day.
So when the Bengals fired Lou Anarumo after a disastrous defensive performance ruined the 2024 season, the team turned to Golden, who came back moments after the final gun sounded in the national championship game. He was so excited about his new gig that he got in his car at 5 a.m. in South Bend, Indiana, and drove straight to Paycor Stadium to watch the entire 2024 season.
“There are only 32 of these jobs,” Golden says about his return to the Bengals, “and I had a great experience last time, so it was an easy decision to return.”
Things will be different this time around. Golden has become a figure of outsized significance for an assistant coach. The Bengals are squarely in franchise quarterback Joe Burrow’s prime, paying him and his elite wide receivers (Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins) the riches of Croesus. All eyes in Cincinnati (and nationally) are on the new defensive coordinator, who has a remit to ensure his unit carries some of the water and the team’s fate doesn’t rely entirely upon Burrow’s magic right arm. Golden is expected to transform the defense from horrid to, at worst, average, despite precious few personnel changes made to the unit this offseason.
If he doesn’t, Golden and his once and current boss, Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor, may be looking for work after the season.
Golden insists he doesn’t feel any pressure. “I immerse myself in the work,” he says. “Just ignore the outside noise. If we improve collectively then we are in control of our destiny. Nobody in this organization is in this to come in second place, or just be a participant. I know I’m not. We want to be a great team.”
The recent shortcomings on defense aren’t for lack of commitment. Cincinnati employs several highly drafted defenders who haven’t broken through. Some regressed badly in 2024. Golden, a collegiate head coach at Temple and Miami who was renowned at Notre Dame for “player development,” is specifically tasked with getting those young, talented players to reach their potential.
“Player development” is a vague phrase that can be interpreted in multiple ways. In Golden’s view it means “holding players accountable, giving them the fundamentals and learning materials and quality control to ultimately set a standard for individual achievement.” Golden, who turned 56 on the Fourth of July, is operating from principles that have worked before. “It’s taken a long time to develop my system. Teaching, drilling, and ultimately setting a standard for both individual achievement and unit performance. The most important concept to me is that execution leads to outcome.”
Despite the dearth of new faces, Golden likes what he has in terms of personnel. “I’m excited about this group. It’s under the radar. We signed back some free agents [B.J. Hill and Joseph Ossai among others], and we get several players back who weren’t healthy in 2024 [a large group that includes veteran linebacker Logan Wilson].”
Golden is the rare coach to have been in a Super Bowl and a college National Championship game in the last three years (losing both, but still). Though he spent the last three seasons calling plays at the highest collegiate level, Golden has never done so in the NFL. He dismisses any concerns. “It’s the same job at both levels, really. The NFL is a little more matchup-oriented, perhaps, but the games are closer than ever in terms of style.” Having Burrow & Co. on his side will make things different from calling defenses in South Bend, where the Irish played a conservative, ball-control offense.
“Zac decides what the overall keys will be each week,” Golden says. “Our goal as assistants is to execute that vision at the micro and macro level. You get into trouble when all three phases [including special teams] act autonomously. There are a great number of challenges over a long season, and we all need to support one another.”
In 2024, Anarumo’s complex schemes seemed to baffle his own players rather than enemy offenses. Golden’s goal is to keep things simpler, so the players can play fast and not get bogged down in questioning what they should do and where they should be on the field. At the same time, he’s aggressively coaching his charges to play multiple positions, seemingly a recipe for confusion. So how to square that circle?
“It’s a delicate line,” Golden concedes. “You need smart, versatile players to play fast…but you also need to play on the baseline, hit it above the net and keep the unforced errors away. It’s easy for coaches to get caught up in the tyranny of comfort. _I want this guy to play outside corner only. That’s not realistic in our business. During the season, a team is like Apollo 13—what we have in the lunar module is all we have to get home. That’s why cross training the players at multiple positions, so you have horizontal and vertical depth, is important.”
Failure is not an option for Golden and the Bengals. Fortunately for the city’s fans, the coach isn’t shying away from his mission.
“I’m not scared of the challenge,” he says. “When you are through growing or developing, you are close to being through [in your career]. I’m still trying to improve. This move has already made me a better coach.”
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