After the Cincinnati Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, the debate as to whether the front office failed him or he failed to properly develop talent started in earnest.
The latest NFL coaching rumors might hint at the first suggestion.
According to NFL Media’s Colleen Wolfe, Anarumo’s latest reported interview is with the Atlanta Falcons — which would reunite him with a guy by the name of Jessie Bates.
This isn’t Anarumo’s first interview as he becomes one of the hottest coaching names in the NFL.
But it is the most important.
The Bengals letting Bates walk in free agency was about as controversial as it gets, given his versatility and scheme fit. It’s been all downhill from there for Anarumo’s unit. The supposed replacement, Dax Hill, now plays cornerback. Bates, meanwhile, went to Atlanta and immediately got All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods.
Should Anarumo link up with Bates again and craft an elite defense once more, it’s an indictment on the Bengals front office in a major way. That’s especially the case, considering one of the reasons the Bengals didn’t pay Bates was so that they could attempt to keep Tee Higgins and get Ja’Marr Chase his big extension down the road — neither of which they have yet to actually do.
Had the Bengals paid Bates, it’s hard not to wonder where the defense might be right now — and if the team would still be alive in the postseason.
