Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden made some waves in his introductory press conference with the team on Monday.
He followed that up with some impressive interviews, too.
Perhaps most notable was Golden’s chat with WCPO’s Caleb Noe, where he addressed one of the biggest problems with the Bengals in recent years — developing players.
“We’re not drafting them to sit next to us,” Golden told Noe. “That might be our number one job.”
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Player development has been a massive problem for the Bengals. Recent first-rounder Myles Murphy wasn’t getting run over Sam Hubbard. Defensive backs like Jordan Battle and Cam Taylor-Britt couldn’t get on the field or were erratic on it.
By far the most notorious example, Dax Hill, was selected as the Jessie Bates replacement, only to eventually shift to cornerback.
The exact how and why of these problems under Lou Anarumo is hard to say, but Golden is setting the expectation that the issue will go away — and fast.
“We’re not drafting them to sit next to us … That might be our #1 job.”@marshallkramsky asked Al Golden what his philosophy is, on playing rookies & young players. pic.twitter.com/1g9wctMAoo
— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) January 27, 2025
