The Bengals haven’t faced many losses to their former coordinators joining new teams, but a key special teamer has signed with the Colts.
The Cincinnati Bengals had two coordinators join other teams in the past two offseasons, with Brian Callahan becoming the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and Lou Anarumo becoming the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts.
When Callahan left, multiple Bengals went with him with Tyler Boyd and Chidobe Awuzie signing deals with the Titans. When Anarumo moved to the Colts it seemed inevitable that some Bengals defenders would be signed there, but at first no one did.
The first possible domino on that front finally fell, as former Bengals linebacker Joe Bachie has signed with the Colts. He first entered the league in 2020 as an undrafted free agent with the Saints. He bounced around for the next year before joining the Bengals on the practice squad just before the 2021 season.
Since joining the Bengals, Bachie has been a consistent member of the team, signing one-year deals to stay in Cincinnati each offseason. He never had more than 150 defensive snaps in a season, but he was a consistent contributor on special teams.
Now, with the Colts, Bachie can compete for a roster spot with the defensive coordinator who kept him around with the Bengals for so long. After the Bengals signed one linebacker in free agency and drafted two more, this move definitely gives him a better chance at making a roster this fall.
