Sources – Notre Dame’s Al Golden returns to Bengals as DC

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  • Leg BabyJanuary 22, 2025, 4:46 PM ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News, covering college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com while appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL Shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

CINCINNATI — A familiar face is returning to the Cincinnati Bengals.

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden is expected to join the Bengals in the same role, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Wednesday. The news comes just days after the Fighting Irish lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.

Golden, 55, spent the past three seasons as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator. Golden replaces Lou Anarumo, who held the job for the past six seasons before being fired after the Bengals missed the postseason.

This will be Golden’s second stint on Zac Taylor’s coaching staff. Before taking the job at Notre Dame, he was Cincinnati’s linebackers coach during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In those years, Golden played an integral role in leading a defense that helped the Bengals reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 33 years.

The Fighting Irish’s defense was a major reason Notre Dame was one game away from winning its first national championship since 1988. Entering the CFP final against the Buckeyes, Notre Dame’s defense ranked fourth among Power 4 teams in points allowed per drive (1.21), according to ESPN Research.

He will be tasked with leading a Bengals defense that looks much different than it did just a few years ago. Staples from that Super Bowl team, including safety Jessie Bates III and defensive tackle DJ Reader, left in free agency in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Last season, Anarumo was tasked with balancing a group that featured aging veterans, injuries at key positions and inexperience in others.

Finally, the defense figured things out during the Bengals’ five-game winning streak to end the regular season. But with Cincinnati missing the postseason for the second year in a row, Taylor opted for a staff shake-up. Along with Anarumo, offensive line coach Frank Pollack and defensive line coach Marion Hobby were among those not retained.

On Monday, Cincinnati announced Scott Peters as Pollack’s replacement and Michael McCarthy as assistant offensive line coach. Later that day, Anarumo was hired as the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator.

The Bengals will need to improve a unit that finished near the bottom of the league in several key categories. Last season, Cincinnati was 26th in points allowed per game. drive, 30th in defensive red zone efficiency and 30th in first downs allowed per match, according to ESPN Research.

Cincinnati is trying to build around star quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase as the team looks to end a two-year playoff drought. Burrow was named to his second Pro Bowl after a career year. Chase made his fourth Pro Bowl in as many NFL seasons and joined defensive end Trey Hendrickson as the team’s first All-Pro selection since 2015.