He’s home.
New Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden is back in Cincinnati. After the contract was signed, we got to hear more from Golden about what brought him back to Cincinnati during an interview with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.
Golden’s family remained in Cincinnati while he was with Notre Dame
Familiarity with not only Zac Taylor but the city of Cincinnati played a role in Golden’s decision to return home. Golden mentioned that his family and two of his children stayed in Cincinnati when he left to coach the Fighting Irish defense.
“All my kids went to school here and I have two still here. Cincinnati is home for us. To have this opportunity at this time is exciting,” Golden said. “I know how Zac wants things done and how the entire organization operates lends itself to being familiar with everything. I was a huge fan of Zac’s culture when I was here the first time.”
Golden’s tireless work ethic left an impression on Bengals coaches
Safeties coach Jordan Kovacs worked with Golden in his first stint with the Bengals, and one thing that stuck with him was Golden’s tireless work ethic.
“I know the first day at work, I’m probably going to get an email at 5:30 a.m. and it’s going to be very detailed about things we need to get rolling,” Kovacs says. “And he’s going to be dead on about them. Very hard worker. Very detailed.
Kovacs also mentioned how good of a teacher Golden is and the positive energy he brings.
Some of Lou Anarumo’s schemes will stay, but some will change
When asked if the old defensive playbook would be scrapped, Golden mentioned he would keep some things from Anarumo’s defense, but some would be tossed out.
“There are some things I’m really familiar with and there are certain things that we want to go in a different direction.
“At the end of the day, I have to be comfortable with it and the defensive staff has to be comfortable with it. We’ll build that together … If there’s no reason to change the way the kids can understand it, there’s no ego. There’s no reason to change it just to change it.”
Golden had a big influence on the Bengals’ current linebacker room
Wilson has been the Bengals’ best linebacker since he was drafted in 2020, and Golden played a large role in drafting and developing him. Germaine Pratt was in his second season when Golden began working with him. Impending free agent Akeem Davis-Gaither also benefited from Golden’s teachings.
“For me, it was important to see that as a young coach,” Kovacs said. “To identify the young talent and develop them. Those guys took big steps under Al’s leadership. He paints a good picture. He sets the standard, he lives the standard, and he expects the standard from his players.”
Golden has held many positions, including head coach at Temple
At only 55, Golden brings a lot of coaching experience with him. His experience in different roles is something the Bengals liked.
The Bengals like the fact that Golden, 55, has done everything from head coach news conferences (for five years at Temple University and five more at the University of Miami) to coach a tight ends room in Detroit (2016-17), and then go across the hall to coach linebackers before wreaking havoc on the country this past season as a coordinator.
The hype around Golden is high now, but as we know in the NFL, the honeymoon phase won’t last long. Golden has plenty of work ahead of him to turn around a defense that failed the Bengals consistently in 2024.
