The Cincinnati Bengals are back after the bye preparing for their must-win Week 13 divisional matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The orange and black have had a nightmarish season thus far and have not been able to close out games to get back in the playoff hunt. The team at times, has looked unprepared and unmotivated in big moments, leading to several losses in one-score contests. If the 2024 campaign keeps going poorly, several coaches on staff might see their tenure end in stripes. Let’s examine three possible coaching casualties,
3 Potential Cincinnati Bengals Offseason Coaching Casualties
Lou Anarumo
Anarumo was on the original staff of head coach Zac Taylor in a hiring process that took several weeks. They are tied together by being on the same staff in Miami where they had some success coaching opposite sides of the ball. Anarumo was fantastic in scheming against great teams and in the playoffs in 2021 and 2022 but has slipped since. This decline isn’t all at his feet as the front office has let his best players walk in free agency such as Jessie Bates and more recently D.J. Reader.
Cincinnati’s defense is ranked 24th in the NFL giving up 355.5 yards per game while allowing 36 touchdowns. They have also been dreadful on third-down and had consistent communication mistakes in the secondary which has cost them dearly.
Frank Pollack
If Anarumo is enemy 1A for Bengals fans, offensive line coach and run game coordinator Frank Pollack is next in line at 1B. Pollack was added with high hopes in 2021 after Jim Tuner was fired and put in charge of revamping the line and rushing attack.
While Pollack has had some good moments at the helm of the offensive line, this season he seems to have taken a significant step back. A positive has been the emergence of sophomore Chase Brown who has shined in the screen game and running the ball. The negatives however have been just too daunting. This includes short-yardage situations that are a problem. Pass protection from the interior has also been abysmal and quarterback Joe Burrow is still taking way too many hits even in year five. Both of these trends can’t continue if Pollack wants to keep his job in 2025.
Marion Hobby
The least known candidate on this list is defensive line coach Marion Hobby whose seat is also hot. A 10-year NFL veteran in his fourth season heading the D-Line, Hobby has guided some great players to excellent seasons including Reader, Trey Hendrickson, and Christian Wilkins.
This season, he’s been integral in the development of rookies Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson who have played well of late. Hobby’s biggest downfall, much like the others on this list has been consistency. The lack of a pass rush and porous run defense is obvious and his guys rarely play with any sense of nastiness. The Bengals might be in the market this winter for a defensive line coach who has a certain edge about them if they don’t make the postseason.
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