ClutchPoints
The Cincinnati Bengals had a good enough offense to be a playoff contender last season, but their defense let them down time and time again. Even though Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase had historic seasons, the Bengals still finished 9-8 and missed the postseason during the last week of the season.
Shortly after the season ended, the Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and replaced him with Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden. Now, Cincinnati is bringing in a big name to work on Golden’s staff. Longtime NFL assistant Sean Desai is heading to Cincinnati as a senior defensive assistant, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Desai has been a defensive assistant in the NFL since the 2013 season. He worked on the Chicago Bears staff as a quality control coach from 2013-18 before becoming the safeties coach for the next two seasons. He served as the defensive coordinator there in 2021.
After leaving the Bears, Desai went to the Seattle Seahawks as an assistant before becoming the defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. He spent the 2024 season as a senior defensive assistant with the Los Angeles Rams.
Despite a tumultuous season with the Eagles that got him fired, Desai is one of the most well-respected defensive minds in football and, paired with Golden, will form a defensive staff that will catch a lot of teams’ attention around the league.
The Bengals have seen the talent on their defense deteriorate over the last few years, and the current unit doesn’t look much like the one that Anarumo had putting together stellar playoff performances consistently. Now, linebacker Germaine Pratt has requested a trade from the team, giving them another hole to fill on that side of the ball.
Regardless of the personnel issues, Bengals fans should be thrilled with the hire of Sean Desai. He should immediately come in and help turn around a dismal defense that finished last season as a bottom 10 unit in both total defense and scoring defense. With the way that Burrow and company can put up points when they have the ball, even an average unit on the other side should have Cincinnati competing for a division title in 2025.
The post Bengals bolster defense with ex-Rams, Eagles assistant appeared first on ClutchPoints.
