BENGALS - Key Persons
Frank Pollack is in his 17th season as an NFL coach, and his fourth overall in Cincinnati. He returned to the Bengals staff as offensive line coach in 2021 - with the added distinction of run game coordinator - after previously serving in the same role in 2018.
Frank Pollack is in his 17th season as an NFL coach, and his fourth overall in Cincinnati. He returned to the Bengals staff as offensive line coach in 2021 - with the added distinction of run game coordinator - after previously serving in the same role in 2018.
In 2022, Pollack oversaw an offensive line that featured four offseason acquisitions - free agents Alex Cappa (RG), La'el Collins (ROT) and Ted Karras (C), and fourth-round draft pick Cordell Volson (LG). Along with veteran LOT Jonah Williams, the line boasted the same starting unit for 15 consecutive games and showed improvement as the season progressed. Cincinnati allowed 17 fewer sacks in the second half of the season (14) compared to the first eight games (31), and held each of its final eight opponents to two or fewer sacks. Injuries forced Pollack to insert three reserve linemen into starting roles in the postseason, but the unit stepped up in a Divisional Playoff win at Buffalo, blocking for an offense that totaled 412 net yards (172 rushing).
Brad Kragthorpe is in his fifth season on the Bengals' staff in 2023, and his first in the role of assistant quarterbacks coach. He spent the previous two seasons (2021-22) as assistant wide receivers coach, after serving as an offensive assistant from '19-20.
Brad Kragthorpe is in his fifth season on the Bengals' staff in 2023, and his first in the role of assistant quarterbacks coach. He spent the previous two seasons (2021-22) as assistant wide receivers coach, after serving as an offensive assistant from '19-20.
In 2022, Kragthorpe again worked with a dynamic receiving corps that featured Tyler Boyd, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Each player recorded over 700 receiving yards, making the Bengals one of two NFL teams with three WRs to reach that number. Chase, despite missing four games due to a hip injury, led the team in receptions (87), receiving yards (1046) and receiving TDs (nine) to earn his second straight Pro Bowl nod, while Higgins posted 74 catches for 1029 yards and seven TDs. Cincinnati's production at wide receiver helped drive an offense that ranked fifth in the NFL in passing yards per game (265.0).
In 2021, Kragthorpe worked with the team's first-round draft pick in Chase, who he previously coached at Louisiana State in 2018. Chase was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year after posting the most receiving yards by a first-year player in the Super Bowl era (1455), while grabbing 13 receiving TDs. He and Higgins (1091 yards) became the first duo in NFL history to record 1000 receiving yards in the same season before the age of 23. Combined with Boyd (828 yards), they combined for 3374 receiving yards during the regular season, the most by any trio in the NFL.
Job Titles:
- Coordinator
- Offensive Coordinator
Brian Callahan is in his 14th NFL season and his fifth in Cincinnati in 2023. He joined the Bengals as offensive coordinator prior to the 2019 season.
Brian Callahan is in his 14th NFL season and his fifth in Cincinnati in 2023. He joined the Bengals as offensive coordinator prior to the 2019 season.
In 2022, Callahan oversaw a dynamic offense that helped lead the team to its second consecutive division title and second straight AFC Championship Game appearance. The offense ranked seventh in the NFL in points per game (26.1), eighth in total yards (360.5 per game), and fifth in passing yards (265.0). He helped guide QB Joe Burrow to his first career Pro Bowl selection, as the third-year signal caller set single-season team records for completions (414) and TD passes (35), while also ranking fifth in the NFL in passing yards (4475). Callahan worked with a pair of 1000-yard WRs in Ja'Marr Chase (1046) and Tee Higgins (1029), who each reached the milestone despite missing time due to injuries. Up front, the Bengals featured a new-look line that continually improved in Callahan's system and allowed no more than two sacks in each of the final eight regular-season games.
In 2021, Callahan helped a talented young Bengals offense rank in the top 10 leaguewide in scoring (eighth, 27.1) and passing (seventh, 259.0) en route to an appearance in Super Bowl LVI. Burrow, returning from a knee injury suffered the previous season, led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4), while setting single-season team records for passing yards (4611) and passer rating (108.3). Chase was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year after posting a team-record 1455 receiving yards, while HB Joe Mixon was third in the NFL in rushing yards (1205) and fourth in rushing TDs (13) to earn his first Pro Bowl nod.
In 2020, Callahan helped transition Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, to the pro level despite the absence of an in-person offseason program due to COVID-19. Before a knee injury ended his season in Week 11, Burrow's 264 completions were the most ever by an NFL QB through their first 10 career games, while his 2688 passing yards were fifth.
In 2019, his first Bengals season, Callahan helped Cincinnati's rushing average rise 70.6 yards in the first eight games (59.5) to the last eight (130.1). Leading the effort was Mixon, who totaled 1168 rushing yards and five TDs.
Prior to his arrival in Cincinnati, Callahan was quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders in 2018. He helped QB Derek Carr to a then-career-high 4049 passing yards and an AFC-best 68.9 completion percentage.
Callahan served as QBs coach with the Detroit Lions from 2016-17. In 2017, he helped QB Matthew Stafford rank third in the NFL in passing yards (4446) and fourth in passing TDs (29). In 2016, Stafford had eight game-winning drives in fourth quarters (most by a QB in a season since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger).
Callahan began his NFL coaching career with the Denver Broncos, spending six years with the club in several offensive roles. He entered in 2010 as a coaching assistant, then moved to offensive quality control from '11-12, offensive assistant from '13-14, and offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach in '15. During his time with the Broncos, Callahan helped mold one of the NFL's most potent offenses, which led the Broncos to five consecutive AFC West titles from 2011-15, and a Super Bowl 50 victory.
Denver's QB during Callahan's tenure was Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning, who in 2013 threw an NFL-record 55 TD passes and won NFL MVP honors. The Broncos set a league record in points (606) and had the second-most yards per game (457.3) in NFL history.
Prior to joining the NFL coaching ranks, Callahan spent two years (2008-09) as offensive coordinator and QBs coach at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. His first coaching experience came in 2006-07, as a graduate assistant at UCLA, where he served in football operations in '06, and then worked with the WRs in '07.
Callahan played collegiately at UCLA, where as a former walk-on QB he appeared in 13 games as a holder on PATs. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from UCLA in 2006, and a masters in education in '08.
The son of former Raiders head coach (2002-03) Bill Callahan, Brian Callahan was born in Champaign, Ill. He was a two-year letter winner at De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., where he was a part of the school's national-record 151-game winning streak and led the team to a No. 1 national ranking. Callahan and wife Allyson have a son, Ronan, and daughter, Norah.
Brian Simmons, the most versatile linebacker in Bengals history, helped the future this offseason when an old fellow linebacker from a long-ago North Carolina high school all-star game called with a favor. Keith Gaither asked Simmons to call his son and offer advice for one of the three linebackers the Bengals drafted.
Carlos Dunlap, about to become the Bengals' greatest sacker of all-time (he needs 2.5), might have just pulled off the most resourceful moves of his career by simply finding a patch of grass to train on during this oddest of offseasons. When he returns to Paul Brown Stadium next week, Dunlap is going to see a much different weight room. First of all, he'll see two of them.
Charles Burks is in his fifth NFL season and his second in Cincinnati in 2023. He again serves as the Bengals' secondary/cornerbacks coach.
Charles Burks is in his fifth NFL season and his second in Cincinnati in 2023. He again serves as the Bengals' secondary/cornerbacks coach.
In 2022, Burks led a cornerbacks group that played a key role in the team holding opposing passers to a league-low 58.9 completion percentage. He worked with rookie Cam Taylor-Britt, Cincinnati's second-round draft pick who after missing the first six games of the season due to injury, went on to start the most games (nine) by a Bengals rookie corner since Leon Hall in 2007 (10). Despite CB Chidobe Awuzie suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 8, Burks' unit helped the Bengals allow just 17 passing TDs (tied for third-fewest in NFL), while yielding 300 net passing yards just once during the regular season.
Burks began his NFL coaching career in Miami in 2019, spending two seasons as a coaching assistant with a focus on the team's cornerbacks before being promoted to cornerbacks coach in 2021. In 2021, he helped CB Xavien Howard further establish himself as one of the game's top corners, as the sixth-year veteran tied for fourth in the NFL in INTs (five), while tying for sixth in PDs (16). Howard earned his third career Pro Bowl nod and second during Burks' Miami tenure.
In 2020, Howard had a Dolphins single-season record 10 INTs, which were also the most by an NFL player since 2007, to earn first-team All-Pro honors. With Burks on staff, Miami's defense led the NFL in takeaways (29) and third-down defense (31.2 percent), while ranking sixth in scoring (21.1 points allowed per game).
Prior to his time with the Dolphins, Burks spent eight seasons in the collegiate ranks. He served as defensive coordinator at Southeastern Oklahoma State from 2014-18, overseeing a unit in '18 that led all of NCAA Division II in pass defense (118.7 yards allowed per game). That season, the Savage Storm also ranked in the top 10 nationally in both total defense (sixth; 251.2 total yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (seventh; 15.4 points allowed per game).
In 2016, Burks tutored CB Raheem Wilson, who led Division II with 24 PDs while recording five INTs to garner Division II All-America honors.
Burks coached at three schools in three seasons before Southeastern Oklahoma State, serving as secondary coach at Texas A&M-Commerce (2013), assistant secondary/cornerbacks coach at West Texas A&M (2012) and secondary coach at his alma mater, East Central University (2011).
Colt Anderson is in his fourth season with the Bengals, after beginning his coaching career with Cincinnati in 2020. A core special teamer during his nine-year (2009-17) playing career, he now serves alongside one of the NFL's top special teams coaches in assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.
Colt Anderson is in his fourth season with the Bengals, after beginning his coaching career with Cincinnati in 2020. A core special teamer during his nine-year (2009-17) playing career, he now serves alongside one of the NFL's top special teams coaches in assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons.
In 2022, Anderson helped transition rookie LS Cal Adomitis and first-year P Drue Chrisman into primary roles. Adomitis, who took over as the team's long snapper after veteran Clark Harris' season-ending injury in Week 1, delivered 146 long snaps without an unplayable attempt throughout the entire regular season and playoffs. Chrisman assumed punting duties midway through the season and averaged 47.8 gross yards on 28 punts, with 13 downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. Anderson also helped continue develop K Evan McPherson into one of the league's top kickers, as the second-year pro converted 24 of 29 FG attempts, including a perfect five-for-five mark on attempts of 50 or more yards.
In 2021, Anderson helped guide McPherson to arguably the best rookie season by a kicker in NFL history. McPherson led the NFL during the regular season in FGs of 50 or more yards (nine), while also ranking seventh in made PATs (46) and 11th in points scored (130). He was a central piece in the team's postseason run to Super Bowl LVI, going a perfect 20-for-20 on placekicks (14 FGs, six PATs) in four games - the most attempts without a miss in a single postseason in NFL history. Anderson once again worked with 13th-year P Kevin Huber, who had 22 punts downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line.
In 2020, Anderson's first season in Cincinnati, he helped oversee a kicking game that ranked sixth in the NFL in average drive start on offense (26.4-yard line), and sixth in average yards allowed per punt return (5.9). Huber posted career highs in both gross (47.2) and net (42.8) punting averages, while WR Alex Erickson ranked fifth leaguewide in average yards per punt return (10.1).
As a player, Anderson was a rotational safety whose impact was felt most on special teams. Over his nine seasons as an NFL player, he spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills. He played in 84 career games (seven starts), and recorded 109 tackles, one INT and two FFs on defense, along with 58 tackles on special teams.
Anderson's final stop as a player was in Buffalo, where he spent the 2016-17 seasons. Injuries limited him to just seven games over two seasons with the Bills, but he still managed five special teams tackles and when healthy was a core special teams contributor.
Anderson spent the 2014-15 seasons with Indianapolis, where he totaled 16 special teams tackles and a FF. His first NFL game action came with the Philadelphia Eagles, racking up 37 special teams tackles over four seasons (2010-13).
He entered the NFL as a college free agent signee of the Vikings in 2009, spending the majority of his first two seasons on Minnesota's practice squad before being signed to the Eagles' active roster in Nov. 2010.
Anderson played collegiately at the University of Montana. He originally joined the Grizzlies' program as a walk-on safety, and went on to become a four-time All-Big Sky performer - three times as a safety and once as a special teams player. As a senior in 2008, he set a school record with 129 tackles.
After his NFL playing career, Anderson spent one season (2019) as a volunteer coach at his alma mater, Butte High School. He and his brother, Beau, own a restaurant in Montana called the Missoula Club, and he and his other brother, Luke, own a clothing company called Uptop. He and his wife, Keelie, also founded the Colt Anderson Dream Big Foundation, a non-profit that is focused on implementing "programs and experiences that will involve our youth, getting them excited about investing in their future."
Anderson was born Oct. 25, 1985, in Butte, Mont., and went on to star as a running back and safety in high school. He holds a degree from Montana in business information systems, and he also earned a teaching certificate in secondary education. He and his wife have four sons - Cage, Krew, Coye and Kace.
Darrin Simmons, who has been coordinating the Bengals special teams since Colt Anderson played on them for Butte High School, had the old Montana Grizzly in his sights on his computer screen. The video clicked out of 2016, when Anderson, the Bengals' new assistant special teams coach, played just two games running down kicks for the Bills before he broke his arm. It's that bruising hands-on experience that sold the Bengals.
Dan Pitcher is in his 12th season overall in the NFL and his eighth as an assistant coach with the Bengals. He again serves as quarterbacks coach in 2023.
Dan Pitcher is in his 12th season overall in the NFL and his eighth as an assistant coach with the Bengals. He again serves as quarterbacks coach in 2023.
In 2022, Pitcher helped QB Joe Burrow further establish himself as one of the NFL's elite signal callers. Burrow ranked second in the league in passing TDs (35), fifth in completions (414), fifth in passing yards (4475) and sixth in passer rating (100.8) en route to earning his first career Pro Bowl selection. His completions and passing TD totals also set single-season team records. Burrow surpassed numerous career milestones during the regular season, including 1000 completions, 11,000 passing yards and 75 passing TDs. In each of those categories, he ranked in the top five in NFL history for fewest games played to reach the respective mark.
In 2021, Pitcher coached Burrow to a breakout season in which he led the NFL in completion percentage (70.4), and set team records for passing yards (4611) and passer rating. Burrow, who missed the final six games of his rookie campaign in 2020 due to a knee injury, was named the AP Comeback Player of the Year. With Pitcher's guidance, he steered the Bengals to an AFC North Division title before completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 1105 yards and five TDs in four postseason games as Cincinnati advanced to Super Bowl LVI.
In 2020, Pitcher helped transition Burrow, the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, to the pro level despite the absence of an in-person offseason program due to COVID-19. Prior to his season-ending knee injury in Game 10, Burrow had turned in one of the most productive starts to a career by a QB in NFL history, as his 264 completions were the most ever by a QB through their first 10 career games, while his 2688 passing yards were fifth.
Pitcher in 2020 helped three different Bengals starting QBs - Burrow, Brandon Allen and Ryan Finley - to wins, marking just the second time in team history that as many QBs have gotten into the win column (1984).
In 2019, Pitcher held the title of assistant quarterbacks coach, and was also charged with leading the team's game clock management efforts. He spent the 2018 season as an offensive assistant with a focus on QBs, after serving as offensive assistant with a focus on WRs in '16-17. In addition to working with regular starter QB Andy Dalton, Pitcher helped Finley and Jeff Driskel as they both saw their first NFL action and were thrust into the starting role.
In 2018, Pitcher guided Dalton to 21 passing TDs through 11 games before a thumb injury ended his season. The team then transitioned to Driskel, who tossed six TDs to just two INTs and posted an 82.2 rating, despite playing much of his time without several key offensive weapons.
In 2017, while working with the Bengals' receivers, Pitcher helped A.J. Green notch 1078 receiving yards and a Pro Bowl nod. In 2016, his first year in Cincinnati, Pitcher worked with rookie WR Tyler Boyd and veteran free agent acquisition Brandon LaFell, as the pair combined for 118 catches, 1465 yards and seven TDs.
Prior to joining the Bengals, Pitcher spent four seasons in player personnel roles with the Indianapolis Colts. He served as a pro scout from 2014-15, after working as a scouting assistant from '12-13.
With Pitcher on staff, the Colts compiled a 41-23 regular-season record (.641), with three playoff berths, including two AFC South championships. Pitcher was responsible for advance scouting reports on opponents, evaluation of free agents and monitoring rosters.
Pitcher began his post-playing career in 2012, coaching wide receivers at his alma mater, Cortland State, a part of New York's state university system. He spent 2009-11 as Cortland State's starting QB, and as a senior he was named a finalist for the prestigious Gagliardi Trophy, presented annually to the most outstanding Division III football player.
Pitcher was born in Cortland, N.Y. on Jan. 13, 1987. He graduated from Cortland State with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2010, and he earned a master's in sports management in '11. He and wife Marissa have a son, Oliver.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Head Coach / Special Teams Coordinator
With a farmer's radar squint and a harvest's work ethic to match, Darrin Simmons watched the biggest cash crop of his winding quarter century in the NFL come in fewer than 500 miles from the family farm.
In his 21st season with the team, Darrin Simmons is the longest-tenured coach on the Bengals' staff. He has led the special teams for his entire Bengals career. He has held the title of special teams coordinator since 2013, and the title of assistant head coach since '20.
In his 21st season with the team, Darrin Simmons is the longest-tenured coach on the Bengals' staff. He has led the special teams for his entire Bengals career. He has held the title of special teams coordinator since 2013, and the title of assistant head coach since '20.
Simmons' work with the special teams has re-written the Bengals' record book. He most notably coached P Kevin Huber, who holds team records for games played (216), total punts (1011), punting yards (45,766), gross average (45.27), net average (40.34) and inside-20 punts (346). Snapping to Huber for a majority of his time in Cincinnati was LS Clark Harris, who finished his own Bengals career in 2022 with zero unplayable long snaps in 1880 attempts.
In 2022, Simmons worked with a young special teams corps that featured rookie LS Cal Adomitis, first-year P Drue Chrisman and second-year K Evan McPherson. Adomitis took over long-snapping duties in Game 2, and had 146 attempts without an unplayable delivery. Chrisman assumed punting duties midway through the season and averaged 47.8 gross yards on 28 punts, with 13 downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line. McPherson continued his ascent as one of the league's top kickers, converting 24 of 29 FG attempts with a perfect five-for-five mark on attempts of 50-plus yards.
In 2021, Simmons guided McPherson to one of the top kicking seasons by a rookie in NFL history. McPherson went 28 of 33 on FG attempts, including nine from 50 or more yards - the most in an entire Bengals career, let alone a season. He was instrumental in the team's postseason run to Super Bowl LVI, going 20-for-20 on placekicks over four games (14 FGs, six PATs), with two game-winning FGs as time expired. No kicker in league history had previously been perfect on more than 11 FGs in a single postseason. Simmons in 2020 helped Huber enjoy one of his top statistical seasons, as the veteran posted career highs in both gross (47.2) and net (42.8) average.
Simmons' special teams units have also excelled in the return game. He has coached three of the Bengals' top four leaders in career punt return average and four of the team's top six leaders in career kickoff return average. In 2019, S Brandon Wilson led the NFL with a 31.3-yard KOR average.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Offensive Line Coach
Derek Frazier is in his second season as the Bengals' assistant offensive line coach after joining the staff in 2022.
Derek Frazier is in his second season as the Bengals' assistant offensive line coach after joining the staff in 2022.
Last season, Frazier helped guide a new-look offensive line that featured four new starters, including LG Cordell Volson, the team's fourth-round draft pick. Working with Frazier, Volson played 100 percent of Cincinnati's offensive snaps during the regular and postseason. The unit improved as the year progressed, allowing 17 fewer sacks in the second half of the season (14) compared to the first (31), and holding opponents to no more than two sacks in each of the final eight games.
Frazier came to Cincinnati after spending the 2021 season as offensive line coach at the University of Wyoming. He coached a line that helped produce one of the top rushing attacks in the nation, as the Cowboys' 195.1 yards per game on the ground ranked 29th in the NCAA and second in the Mountain West Conference. Three Wyoming offensive linemen earned All-Mountain West honors under Frazier's tutelage.
Frazier spent the 2019-20 seasons as assistant offensive line coach with the N.Y. Jets, working alongside current Bengals offensive line coach/ run game coordinator Frank Pollack. In 2020, Frazier helped first-round draft pick Mekhi Becton earn numerous all-rookie honors and quickly emerge as one of the NFL's top young OTs. In 2019, the Jets fought through a wave of injuries that forced the team to use 11 different starters (second- most in the NFL) along the line. The line, though, showed improvement, allowing 22 fewer sacks in the second half of the season compared to the first.
Prior to his first NFL coaching position with the Jets, Frazier spend four seasons (2015-18) at Central Michigan University, where he served as offensive line coach and had the added distinction of run game coordinator from '17-18. Frazier helped CMU appear in three consecutive bowl games from 2015-17. In 2017, he coached OL J.P. Quinn to a third-team All-MAC selection, and the line protected QB Shane Morris as he passed for the second-most TDs in program history (27).
Frazier spent three seasons (2012-14) as offensive line coach at Colorado State University, helping the program increase its win total from four to 10 over a three-year period. He coached two offensive linemen - Ty Sambrailo and Weston Richburg - to first-team All-Mountain West honors, with Richburg becoming a second-round draft choice by the N.Y. Giants.
Frazier had two coaching stints at Fresno State, the latter of which from 2006-11. He served as the offensive line coach for the 2006-08 seasons and added the responsibility of run-game coordinator from '09-11. He previously spent the 2003-04 campaigns as a graduate assistant. During his years at Fresno State, Frazier helped the Bulldogs earn six bowl game bids with three wins against Power 5 opponents. He worked with an offensive line that paved the way for consecutive 1000-yard rushers in Dwayne Wright and Bryson Sumlin. He also helped develop All-American OL Logan Mankins, who went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Frazier was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo., for two seasons (2001-02), where he also served as the weight throws coach for the track & field program. He spent the 2000 season as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Nichols College in Dudley, Mass., helping lead the team to a 7-3 record and the first postseason appearance in school history.
A four-year letterman at the University of Northern Colorado (1992-96), Frazier was the starting center on the Bears' NCAA Division II National Championship team in 1996. That season, he received the team's Most Inspirational Offensive Player Award.
Frazier earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from Northern Colorado in 1997 and received a master's degree from Nichols College in 2000. He is married with two children.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Coordinator
- Offensive Line / Run Game Coordinator
Pollack served as Dallas' assistant offensive line coach in 2014, a season in which the Cowboys produced 4.63 yards per carry (third in NFL), with RB DeMarco Murray rushing for a franchise-record 1845 yards. In 2013, Pollack's first season in Dallas, the Cowboys ranked eighth in the NFL in yards per carry (4.48), while allowing the seventh-fewest sacks in the league (35).
As Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack takes his guys into Sunday's AFC title game in Kansas City (6:30 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12), they take with them a mighty lesson from last Sunday's 27-10 AFC Divisional win in Buffalo. And other notes and quotes from the coaches.
Frank Pollack's musical mix matches what he's got going on in the Bengals offensive line room, where the players swear by him and, maybe just as importantly, where his wall adjoins the office of head coach Zac Taylor. Pollack, 53, an old school plug-and-play NFL guard sifted out of the 1990 sixth round and Northern Arizona, is making music with new age analytical offensive linemen like Jonah Williams, the Bengals' cerebral left tackle.
Job Titles:
- Bengals' Creative Artist
- Offensive Assistant
Biography
Fredi Knighten is in his second season with the Bengals, after joining the staff as an offensive assistant in 2022.
Fredi Knighten is in his second season with the Bengals, after joining the staff as an offensive assistant in 2022.
In his first season in Cincinnati, Knighten helped the offense rank in the top 10 in the NFL in scoring (seventh, 26.1 points per game), total yards (eighth, 360.5 per game), and passing yards (fifth, 265.0 per game). QB Joe Burrow set single-season team records for completions (414) and passing TDs (35) en route to earning his first career Pro Bowl selection, while WRs Ja'Marr Chase (1046) and Tee Higgins (1029) each surpassed 1000 receiving yards for a second straight season.
Knighten joined the Bengals' staff after spending the 2021 campaign as an offensive analyst at Utah State University. He helped the Aggies set program records for passing yards (4248), TD passes (41), total 100-yard receiving games (13) and number of WRs with 10-plus TD catches (three). With Knighten on staff, Utah State finished the season ranked 15th nationally in passing offense (303.4 yards per game), 23rd in total offense (445.6 yards per game) and 33rd in scoring offense (32.6 points per game). The offense played a large role in the team tying the school record for wins (11) and claiming the program's first Mountain West Conference title.
At Utah State, Knighten worked with WR Deven Thompkins, who was named an AP third-team All-American and a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award. Thompkins ranked second in the NCAA and set a school record with 1,704 receiving yards on 102 receptions. He tied a Utah State record with nine total 100-yard receiving games, including six straight games with 100-plus yards.
Knighten spent two seasons (2019-20) at the University of Massachusetts, where he served as running backs coach for both years and also coached the quarterbacks in '20. During the 2020 season, none of the team's five RBs that fielded a handoff committed a fumble once over a combined 344 carries. The group rushed for a combined 1460 yards (4.2 per carry) and 11 TDs.
Prior to his time at UMass, Knighten served as a graduate assistant at Florida State for the 2018 season. He helped the Seminoles offense rank third in the ACC in passing yards per game (270.1), with QB Deondre Francois throwing for 2731 yards and 15 TDs. He was also a graduate assistant for two years (2016-17) at Maryland, helping the Terrapins rank in the top-20 nationally for fewest turnovers (14) in 2017. That season, WR DJ Moore set a school record with 80 receptions and led the Big Ten with 1033 receiving yards. Moore would become a first-round draft pick by the Carolina Panthers in 2018.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning
Garrett Swanson is in his fifth season with the Bengals in 2023, and again serves as assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Garrett Swanson is in his fifth season with the Bengals in 2023, and again serves as assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Since arriving in Cincinnati in 2019, Swanson and the strength and conditioning staff have led the physical development of an influx of new and young Bengals players. In 2022, he assisted in QB Joe Burrow's return to form after he underwent an emergency surgery to remove his appendix on the first day of training camp. Burrow was back on the field three weeks later, and went on to set single-season team records for completions (414) and passing TDs (35). Swanson additionally helped several notable starters return from injury, including WR Ja'Marr Chase (hip) and DT DJ Reader (knee).
In 2021, Swanson worked with multiple key players who returned from injuries to help lead the team to an AFC North Division title and a berth in Super Bowl LVI. Highlighting that crop was Burrow, who was named the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year after missing the final six weeks of his rookie season with a knee injury. Burrow set single-season franchise records in passing yardage (4611) and passer rating (108.3). TE C.J. Uzomah, coming back from an Achilles injury suffered in Week 2 of the 2020 campaign, recorded career highs in receptions (49), receiving yards (493) and TDs (five).
James Bettcher is in his second season with the Bengals in 2023, after joining the staff in '22 as linebackers coach.
James Bettcher is in his second season with the Bengals in 2023, after joining the staff in '22 as linebackers coach.
In 2022, Bettcher worked with one of the NFL's top young LB duos in Logan Wilson (third year) and Germaine Pratt (fourth year). They each logged career highs in tackles, with Wilson's team-leading 123 stops being the most by a Bengal since 2013 (Vontaze Burfict, 171), and Pratt's 99 ranking second on the team. The pair was key in Cincinnati allowing just 20.1 points per game (sixth in NFL) and 106.6 rushing yards (seventh).
Bettcher joined the Bengals after spending 2021 as senior defensive assistant/running game specialist with the San Francisco 49ers. He helped guide a 49ers defense that ranked third in the league in total yards allowed (310.0 per game) and seventh in rushing yards allowed (103.5).
Prior to his stint in San Francisco, Bettcher spent two seasons as defensive coordinator with the N.Y. Giants (2018-19). In 2019, the Giants ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per attempt (3.86). In 2018, he coached alongside current Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who served as DBs coach for the Giants. That year, two of Bettcher's defenders - LB Olivier Vernon and S Landon Collins - earned Pro Bowl nods.
Bettcher spent five seasons in Arizona (2013-17), including the final three as defensive coordinator. During his tenure as defensive coordinator, the Cardinals ranked in the top six in the NFL in total defense each year, while ranking fourth in total takeaways (82) and defensive TDs (11). Bettcher also guided six players to Pro Bowl selections and four to All-Pro honors. In 2017, Arizona ranked third in rushing yards allowed per play and sixth in third-down defense. The Cardinals posted a league-leading 48 sacks in 2016, led by DE Markus Golden (12.5) and OLB Chandler Jones (11). Bettcher joined the Cardinals as outside linebackers coach in 2013, helping Arizona lead the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game (84.4). In 2014, the team's 18.7 points allowed per game was the fifth-best average in the NFL.
Bettcher first entered the NFL in 2012 as special assistant to the head coach for the Indianapolis Colts. During that season, Bruce Arians stepped in as interim head coach for 12 games while Chuck Pagano received treatment for leukemia. With Bettcher's assistance, Arians led the team to a 9-3 record and a playoff berth, earning AP NFL Coach of the Year honors.
Before joining the Colts, Bettcher spent nine years in the college coaching ranks. In 2011, he served as linebackers/special teams coach at the University of New Hampshire, where he coached the NCAA FCS leading tackler, LB Matt Evans. He spent the 2010 season coaching defensive ends and special teams at Ball State University.
Bettcher was a graduate assistant at the University of North Carolina from 2007-09, working primarily with the defense. He helped develop DL Robert Quinn, who went on to become a 2011 first-round NFL draft pick. Prior to UNC, Bettcher spent one season (2006) as a defensive graduate assistant at Bowling Green State University, working with the secondary and special teams units.
Bettcher began his coaching career at his alma mater, the University of St. Francis (Ind.), where he served as special teams coordinator and defensive line coach from 2003-05. With Bettcher on staff, the Cougars earned three berths to the NAIA playoffs, including two national championship game appearances.
Bettcher was a two-time NAIA Coaches All-American as an offensive lineman during his playing career at St. Francis (1999-2002). In his senior season in 2002, he received the team's Silver Helmet Award for leadership, coachability and performance on the field. He also competed on the school's track and field team, earning five All-America honors. He was inducted into the St. Francis Hall of Fame in 2012.
Bettcher was born in Lakeville, Ind. He and his wife, Erica, have three sons - Colton, Brooks and Cruz - and one daughter, Addison.
Job Titles:
- Strength and Conditioning
Joey Boese is in his fifth season with the Bengals in 2023, and again will lead the team's strength and conditioning program.
Since arriving in Cincinnati in 2019, Boese and his staff have led the physical development of an influx of new and young Bengals players. In 2022, he helped QB Joe Burrow return to the field in time for the start of the regular season, after an emergency surgery to remove Burrow's appendix held him out of training camp for three weeks. During the regular season, he aided in the return from injury for several notable starters who missed action, including WR Ja'Marr Chase and DT DJ Reader.
Boese's program helped Cincinnati navigate a 21-game schedule in 2021 that included a postseason run to Super Bowl LVI. His staff was instrumental in Burrow's rehabilitation, as the second-year QB set several single-season team records after missing the final six games of his rookie season in 2020 due to a knee injury. Burrow was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, becoming the second player in Bengals history to receive the honor.
Boese's efforts were particularly evident in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited training at the team facility during the offseason and limited it during the regular season. His staff adjusted and helped onboard new additions that included a seven-player draft class and numerous free agent signees.
In 2019, his first season in Cincinnati, Boese's program contributed to a late-season surge, with the Bengals averaging 70.6 more rushing yards per game in the second half of the season compared to the first, while defensively they notched 11 more sacks and yielded 84.1 fewer yards per game.
Prior to joining the Bengals, Boese spent three years (2016-18) as the head football strength and conditioning coach at the University of Illinois. In 2018, he helped the Illini develop a powerful rushing offense, as the team's 244.2 rushing yards per game ranked second in the Big Ten.
Boese spent the previous four seasons (2012-15) as head strength and conditioning coach at Fresno State University. In 2012-13, he helped the Bulldogs to back-to-back conference titles, a first for the program since 1992-93. Boese also helped develop 14 first-team All-Mountain West performers and six NFL draft picks. In 2013, Boese's program helped the Bulldogs tie a school record for wins (11) and reach as high as No. 13 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Boese broke into the coaching ranks as assistant strength and conditioning coach at Texas A&M from 2008-11. During his time with the Aggies, Boese worked with seven future first-round NFL draft picks. He also worked alongside two members of the current Bengals coaching staff - head coach Zac Taylor and wide receivers coach Troy Walters.
Between August 2009 and July 2011, Boese served as the head strength and conditioning coach for Texas A&M's baseball team, helping the Aggies reach the 2011 College World Series.
Boese attended the University of Wisconsin, where he played defensive back on the football team from 1998-2001. He was a four-year letterman, two-year starter and three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He helped the Badgers to back-to-back Rose Bowl victories (1998 and '99) and a Sun Bowl victory (2000). After college, he played four seasons (2003-06) in the Canadian Football League for the Calgary Stampeders. After his playing days, Boese served as a defensive video intern with the Nebraska football team in 2007.
Boese was born in Chicago, Ill., but raised in Southern California. He earned a bachelor's degree in communication arts from Wisconsin in 2002, and finished his master's of science in health, physical education and recreation at Emporia State University in '08. He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), and a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCA).
Boese and his wife, Aimee, have three sons - Sam, Ben and Max. His last name is pronounced "bo-ZAY."
Job Titles:
- Assistant Linebackers Coach
- NFL Coach
- Quality Control Coach
A former NFL safety who was in the league as recently as 2016, Jordan Kovacs now is in his fifth season as a Bengals and NFL coach. He serves as assistant linebackers coach, a role he stepped into in 2022 after spending the previous three years as defensive quality control coach with a specific focus on linebackers.
A former NFL safety who was in the league as recently as 2016, Jordan Kovacs now is in his fifth season as a Bengals and NFL coach. He serves as assistant linebackers coach, a role he stepped into in 2022 after spending the previous three years as defensive quality control coach with a specific focus on linebackers.
In 2022, Kovacs worked with an elite LB duo in third-year pro Logan Wilson and fourth-year pro Germaine Pratt. They each recorded a career high in tackles, as Wilson's 123 stops led Cincinnati and were the most by a Bengals player since Vontaze Burfict (171) in 2013, while Pratt's 99 ranked second on the team. The pair played a key role in Cincinnati's defense ranking sixth in the NFL in points allowed (20.1 per game) and seventh in rushing yards allowed (106.6).
In 2021, Kovacs helped Wilson and Pratt assert themselves as core members of a Bengals defense that ranked fifth leaguewide in rushing yards allowed (102.5 per game). Wilson led the team with 98 tackles and a career-high four INTs, tying for the most by any NFL linebacker. He then had 39 tackles in Cincinnati's postseason run to Super Bowl LVI, and picked off Titans QB Ryan Tannehill in the final minute of the Divisional Playoff at Tennessee to set up a game-winning FG. Pratt, meanwhile, posted 88 tackles in the regular season and had a game-sealing INT late in the Wild Card Playoff win over Las Vegas.
In 2020, Kovacs helped guide a LB group that featured three rookie draft picks and an unrestricted free agent signee. The steady development of the young LBs paralleled the Bengals' improved defense as the season went along, as they helped hold opposing QBs to just a 62.8 completion percentage, sixth-best in the NFL.
In 2019, his first season as an NFL coach, Kovacs and the staff keyed a substantial defensive turnaround, as Cincinnati allowed 84.1 fewer yards per game in the second half of the season compared to the first eight games.
Prior to joining the Bengals' staff, Kovacs spent two seasons (2017-18) working at his alma mater, the University of Michigan. In 2018, he served as a defensive graduate assistant with a focus on the defensive line, helping the Wolverines finish second in the nation in total defense (275.2 yards per game). Kovacs worked with DEs Rashan Gary and Chase Winovich, who each earned first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Kovacs spent the 2017 season as a coaching intern at Michigan, working with the defense and special teams. The Wolverines led the nation in both passing defense and third-down conversion percentage allowed, and were the only team in the country to hold five opponents under 200 yards of total offense. No other Big Ten school had accomplished that feat in the previous 20 years.
Prior to his coaching career, Kovacs played safety for the Miami Dolphins for parts of three seasons (2013-15), after originally signing with the team as a college free agent in '13. He played in 28 career games for the Dolphins, totaling 10 tackles and a sack. He also spent time briefly on the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad in 2014, and with the Kansas City Chiefs and L.A. Rams during the 2016 preseason.
Kovacs had a standout collegiate career as a safety at Michigan from 2009-12, after originally joining the program as a walk-on in '08. He was a four-year letter winner and four-year starter for the Wolverines, appearing in 50 total games with 46 starts. Kovacs became just the 15th player in school history to record 300 career tackles, and left the program ranked 12th in that category (331).
As a senior in 2012, Kovacs earned Michigan's Bo Schembechler Most Valuable Player Award, as well as second-team All-Big Ten honors. He was also a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, presented annually to the top college football player who began their career as a walk-on. Kovacs was named All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2010 and '11, and was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in '11 and '12.
Kovacs was born June 12, 1990, in Curtice, Ohio, outside of Toledo. He graduated from Michigan in 2012 with a degree in kinesiology. He and his wife, Kat, live in Cincinnati.
Justin Hill is in his third Bengals season in 2023, after joining the staff in '21 as running backs coach.
Justin Hill is in his third Bengals season in 2023, after joining the staff in '21 as running backs coach.
In 2022, Hill coached a running backs group that helped the Cincinnati offense rank seventh in the NFL in scoring (26.1 points per game) and eighth in total yards (360.5 per game). HB Joe Mixon posted 1255 yards from scrimmage, including a career-high 441 receiving yards despite missing two games due to a concussion. In his absence, HB Semaje Perine started Games 11-12 and rushed for a combined 166 yards on 38 carries (4.4 average). Perine finished the regular season with 394 rushing yards, his most since 2017, and recorded a career-high 287 receiving yards.
In 2021, his first season in Cincinnati, Hill helped Mixon enjoy a career year that resulted in his first Pro Bowl selection. Mixon ranked third in the NFL in rushing yards (1205) and rushing TDs (13) during the regular season, then ran for 262 yards in the postseason to help lead the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI. He became one of just four players in team history to amass 4000 career rushing yards and 1000 receiving yards, and did so in the fewest amount of games (60).
Hill spent the previous six seasons (2015-20) as running backs coach at the University of Tulsa. During his tenure with the Golden Hurricane, the team's running backs totaled 50 100-yard rushing games and five 200-yard games. As a team, they topped 300 yards rushing in 13 games, while his running backs earned four all-conference honors.
In 2020, Hill was promoted before the season to run game coordinator, and then helped steer Tulsa's backfield through an injury to No. 1 RB Shamari Brooks. RBs Corey Taylor II and Deneric Prince stepped in and combined for 1076 rushing yards and eight TDs in just nine games.
In 2016, Two of Hill's proteges - RBs James Flanders and D'Angelo Brewer - each topped 1000 yards rushing, with Flanders' school-record 1629 yards leading the American Athletic Conference. Flanders and Brewer became the first duo in school history to combine for 3000 rushing yards, and helped the Golden Hurricane rank eighth nationally in rushing yards per game (261.7), while also setting a school record with eight 300-plus yard games.
In 2017, Tulsa ranked 14th nationally in rushing (247.3), and Brewer became the all-time rushing leader (3917) for both Tulsa and the AAC. After the season, Hill was one of 30 coaches nationwide selected by the American Football Coaches Association to participate in the AFCA's "30 Under 30" Coaches' Leadership Institute.
During his tenure at Tulsa, Hill guided four players - Flanders, Brewer, Brooks and Taylor - to 1000 career rushing yards. He also was at the helm for three of Tulsa's top five single-season rushing outputs.
Prior to his time at Tulsa, Hill spent three seasons (2012-14) at Baylor University, where he served as associate director of athletic performance for the football team. He spent 2011 as a graduate assistant coach at Iowa State.
Hill played collegiately at Rice University from 2007-10. He began his career as a running back, starting seven games and racking up a team-high 321 yards and three TDs as a true freshman. Due to injuries on Rice's defense the following year, Hill moved to the other side of the ball. He spent his final three seasons at linebacker, and totaled 97 tackles, six pass break-ups and three FFs. He was a team co-captain in 2010 and won the Jess Nealy Award, an honor given annually to the Owls' top linebacker.
Hill was born Sept. 9, 1988 in Mesquite, Texas. He graduated from Rice in 2011 with a degree in sociology, and then earned a master's degree in educational leadership and policy studies from Iowa State in 2015. He and his wife, Dana, have one daughter, Avery, and one son, Jordan.
Kevin Huber's idea now is to play at least five more seasons and play the most games in his hometown team's history with a special teams group always in the hunt for the league's top ranking. When the Bengals play in Miami Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) and Huber, of the Anderson Township Hubers, punts in his 186th game, he passes the greatest Bengal of them all, Hall-of-Famer Anthony Muñoz.
Job Titles:
- Gaither News Conference August 16, 2021
- Media After the Bengals 24 - 17 Win in the Wild Card Round
LB Akeem Davis-Gaither speaks to media after the Bengals 24-17 win in the Wild Card Round.
Baltimore Ravens' first drive ends with Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither's first INT since January 2021 as he steps in front of a pass from Tyler Huntley.
Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither speaks with the media about his preseason debut and his play during training camp.
Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither intercepts the Lamar Jackson pass in the second quarter versus the Ravens.
Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither began Thursday like he has begun many days of his 25 years and read a text from the guy he calls, "Coach Dad." With a potential heavy workload staring at him Sunday against the Falcons at Paycor Stadium (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's FOX 19), ADG is all ears.
Anarumo was assistant head coach at Harvard University from 1995-2000, working with the DBs and coordinating the special teams. From 1992-94, he was defensive coordinator and DBs coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
Born Aug. 18, 1966, Anarumo is a native of Staten Island, N.Y., and earned his bachelor's degree in special education from Wagner in 1990. He and his wife, Fran, have three children - Madison, Louis and Christopher. His last name is pronounced "ann-ah-ROO-mo."
Lou Anarumo is in his 12th season as an NFL coach, and fifth with Cincinnati, after joining the Bengals in 2019 as defensive coordinator.
Job Titles:
- Defensive Quality Control
Biography
A Bengals assistant from 1997-2010, Sigismondo "Louie" Cioffi returned to Cincinnati in 2021 after more than a decade away, and serves as defensive quality control coach. The 2023 season marks his 17th Bengals season, and 25th as an NFL coach.
A Bengals assistant from 1997-2010, Sigismondo "Louie" Cioffi returned to Cincinnati in 2021 after more than a decade away, and serves as defensive quality control coach. The 2023 season marks his 17th Bengals season, and 25th as an NFL coach.
In 2022, Cioffi helped the Cincinnati defense rank sixth in the NFL in points allowed per game (20.1) and seventh in rushing yards allowed per game (106.6). The Bengals also held opposing passers to a league-low 58.9 completion percentage and recorded 13 INTs, while giving up 300 net passing yards just once during the regular season. Cioffi also helped the defense overcome several notable injuries, as CB Chidobe Awuzie, CB Mike Hilton and DT DJ Reader each missed at least two games.
In 2021, Cioffi helped the Cincinnati defense allow the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL (102.5). The Bengals also recorded the 11th-most sacks in the league (41), led by free agent acquisition DE Trey Hendrickson, who logged 14 - a career high, the fifth-most in the NFL and the second-most in a single season in team history. Cincinnati made numerous game-changing plays defensively during its postseason run to Super Bowl LVI, as its eight INTs were the most by a team in a single postseason since Green Bay in 2010.
In 2020, Cioffi served as defensive coordinator of the XFL's D.C. Defenders. He helped the team to a first-place finish in the XFL East, as the defense ranked second in the league in both third-down and red-zone percentage. In 2019, he was defensive coordinator/ linebackers coach of the AAF's Atlanta Legends, and helped the team lead the league in both total defense and passing defense. Prior to his time with the Defenders and Legends, he spent the 2018 season as defensive coordinator at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Cioffi served as defensive backs coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2016, helping CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun tie for the NFL rookie lead in INTs (three). From 2014-15, Cioffi was CBs coach for the Tennessee Titans, and helped the '15 team rank seventh in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (229.9).
Cioffi also spent the 2013 season with the Browns, serving as defensive backs coach as Cleveland ranked eighth in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (221.1). That year, he helped guide CB Joe Haden and S T.J. Ward to their first career Pro Bowl selections.
From 2011-12, Cioffi was defensive backs coach with the Arizona Cardinals. Under his guidance, the 2012 Cardinals allowed the lowest passer rating (71.2) in the NFL, while ranking second in INTs (22), and fifth in passing yards allowed per game (200.8). Working with Cioffi, CB Patrick Peterson earned his first two Pro Bowl nods.
Cioffi's first stint with the Bengals came from 1997-2010, and he began his role on staff at age 23 as the youngest full-time assistant coach in the NFL. He started as defensive staff assistant (1997-2000) and defensive assistant ('01-02), before moving to assistant defensive backs coach (2003-10). In his seven years as DBs coach, Cioffi helped the Bengals rank fifth in the NFL in INTs (150), and he oversaw the development of CBs Deltha O'Neal, Tory James, Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph, along with safeties Madieu Williams, Chinedum Ndukwe, Chris Crocker and Roy Williams. In 2009, the Bengals ranked fourth in the NFL in yards allowed (301.4 per game), sixth in passing yards allowed (203.1), and sixth in points allowed (18.2). The 2009 pass defense ranking was Cincinnati's highest since 1993.
Cioffi spent the 1995-96 seasons as wide receivers coach at C.W. Post University in Brookville, N.Y., helping the '96 team win the ECAC Division II title.
Prior to his time at C.W. Post, Cioffi served in 1993-94 as a 20 and 21-year-old assistant to Bruce Coslet's coaching staff on the N.Y. Jets. Then, in 1997 when he took over full-time as Bengals head coach, Coslet brought Cioffi on board as part of a reorganization of the coaching staff.
Cioffi was born Sept. 21, 1973, in Queens, N.Y. and attended college at SUNY-Stony Brook. His wife's name is Cindy. They have two daughters, Cecilia Elle and Corrine, and a son, Sigismondo Connor.
Marion Hobby is in his ninth season as an NFL coach and third with the Bengals. He again leads the defensive line unit.
Marion Hobby is in his ninth season as an NFL coach and third with the Bengals. He again leads the defensive line unit.
In 2022, Hobby coached a defensive line that ranked among the league's best against the run, as Cincinnati allowed the seventh-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL (106.6) en route to its second straight division title. He helped DE Trey Hendrickson post a team-high eight sacks and earn his second straight Pro Bowl selection, while DE Sam Hubbard notched 6.5 sacks and led the Bengals with 11 TFLs. On the interior, DTs B.J. Hill and DJ Reader combined for eight PDs, while helping allow LBs Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt to record career highs in tackles.
Hobby led a pass-rushing resurgence for the Bengals in his first season in 2021, as Cincinnati's 41 sacks (t-11th in NFL) more than doubled its total of 17 in '20. Hendrickson, an offseason free agent acquisition, recorded 14 sacks, the fifth-most in the NFL and second-most in team history, to collect his first career Pro Bowl nod. During the regular season, four players - Hendrickson, Hubbard (7.5 sacks), DT Larry Ogunjobi (7.0) and Hill (5.5) - matched or surpassed the 2020 team's individual high of 5.5. The line continued its dominant play in the postseason, recording 10 sacks over four games to help lead the Bengals to an appearance in Super Bowl LVI.
Hobby spent the previous two seasons (2019-20) as defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins. In 2020, the line helped lead Miami to top-10 NFL rankings in points allowed per game (21.1), sacks (41) and forced fumbles (14). In 2019, Hobby headed the development of rookie DT Christian Wilkins, the team's first-round pick who went on to lead all rookie defensive linemen with 56 tackles.
Hobby served as DL coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars (2017-18), leading one of the top units in the NFL. In 2017, the Jags ranked second leaguewide in sacks (55) and takeaways (33), with four players recording at least eight sacks. Under Hobby, DL Calais Campbell became the first player in Jaguars history to log double-digit sacks in consecutive seasons (14.5 in 2017, 10.5 in '18).
Hobby has had two separate stints on Clemson University's coaching staff. The second was from 2011-16, when he served as co-defensive coordinator/DEs coach. The Tigers earned two national championship game berths and a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2016 with Hobby on staff. He also helped develop several NFL defensive linemen, including current Reader, who played for the Tigers from 2012-15.
Job Titles:
- Senior Defensive Assistant
A Bengals assistant from 1997-2002, Mark Duffner returned to Cincinnati's coaching staff in '19 as senior defensive assistant. He now is in his 27th season as an NFL coach, and 11th overall with the Bengals.
A Bengals assistant from 1997-2002, Mark Duffner returned to Cincinnati's coaching staff in '19 as senior defensive assistant. He now is in his 27th season as an NFL coach, and 11th overall with the Bengals.
In 2022, Duffner helped the defense rank sixth in the NFL in points allowed per game (20.1). Working closely with the defensive line, he helped guide DE Trey Hendrickson to a team-leading eight sacks and his second straight Pro Bowl selection, while DTs B.J. Hill and DJ Reader helped lead the team in ranking seventh leaguewide in rushing yards allowed per game (106.6).
In 2021, Duffner worked with a defense that ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed (102.5 per game) and 11th in sacks (41). Hendrickson in his first Bengals season notched 14 sacks, the fifth-most in the league and second-most in team history. Cincinnati's run to Super Bowl LVI marked Duffner's first time coaching in the big game, as the Bengals had a league-high eight INTs and 155 tackles in the postseason.
In 2020, Duffner helped the Cincinnati defense hold opposing passers to a 62.8 completion percentage (sixth in the NFL), while also guiding the transition of seven new starters despite an offseason with no on-field work due to COVID-19. In 2019, Cincinnati recorded 11 more sacks in the second half of the season compared to the first eight games and allowed 84.1 fewer yards per game.
Duffner spent 2016-18 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as linebackers coach and served the last 11 games of '18 as interim defensive coordinator. In those 11 contests, the Bucs' defense improved its yards allowed per game from 439.8 to 357.7. In 2017, Duffner helped LB Kwon Alexander earn his first Pro Bowl nod, while LB Lavonte David had five FFs (second-most in the NFL) and a league-high five FRs. Duffner in 2017 and '18 was voted as Buccaneers Coach of the Year as part of Tampa Bay's local PewterCast Awards.
From 2014-15, Duffner served as linebackers coach for the Miami Dolphins, working alongside several current Bengals coaches, including head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
Prior to Miami, he spent eight seasons (2006-13) coaching LBs with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Duffner in 2014 was named Jacksonville's top assistant coach by the Florida Times-Union on the Jaguars' All-20th Anniversary Team.
Duffner spent the 2003-05 seasons as linebackers coach for the Green Bay Packers, helping '03 first-round pick Nick Barnett lead the team in tackles in three straight seasons.
Robert Livingston is in his ninth season on the coaching staff in 2023. This is Livingston's eighth season with the title of secondary coach, and his sixth with a specific focus on the Bengals' safeties.
Robert Livingston is in his ninth season on the coaching staff in 2023. This is Livingston's eighth season with the title of secondary coach, and his sixth with a specific focus on the Bengals' safeties.
In 2022, Livingston once again worked with an elite safety duo consisting of Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell, who both started all 16 games and led the Bengals in defensive snaps played. Bates and Bell tied for the team lead with four INTs each, a career high for both players, and played a key role in Cincinnati holding opposing passers to a league-low 58.9 completion percentage. Livingston also helped develop rookie Dax Hill, the Bengals' first-round draft pick who played in 15 games with two starts.
James Casey is in his fifth season in Cincinnati, and fifth as an NFL coach. He joined the Bengals as tight ends coach prior to the 2019 season.
James Casey is in his fifth season in Cincinnati, and fifth as an NFL coach. He joined the Bengals as tight ends coach prior to the 2019 season.
In 2022, Casey worked with TE Hayden Hurst, an offseason free agent signee who went on to start 13 games. Despite missing three contests due to injury, Hurst caught 52 passes - the most by a Bengals TE since 2015 - for 414 yards and two TDs. Stepping into the starting lineup when Hurst was out was TE Mitchell Wilcox, who set career highs in receptions (17) and receiving yards (139), while contributing to the team's blocking effort.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning
Todd Hunt is in his fifth season with the Bengals, after joining Cincinnati in 2019 as assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Todd Hunt is in his fifth season with the Bengals, after joining Cincinnati in 2019 as assistant strength and conditioning coach.
Since arriving in Cincinnati, Hunt and the strength and conditioning staff have led the physical development of an influx of new and young Bengals players. In 2022, he helped QB Joe Burrow return to form after an emergency surgery to remove his appendix kept him out of training camp for three weeks. Burrow recovered in time for the regular-season opener, and went on to set single-season team records for completions (414) and passing TDs (35). Hunt additionally aided in the return from injury for several notable starters who missed action, including WR Ja'Marr Chase (hip) and DT DJ Reader (knee).
If you want to know how Trey Hendrickson became one of the 2020s top sackers, ask his teammates and coaches during Saints week.
Troy Walters is in his fourth season with the Bengals and third as wide receivers coach, after joining the staff as assistant WRs coach in 2020.
Troy Walters is in his fourth season with the Bengals and third as wide receivers coach, after joining the staff as assistant WRs coach in 2020.
In 2022, Walters once again oversaw a dynamic receiving corps featuring Tyler Boyd, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Each player missed action due to injury but still managed to record at least 700 receiving yards, making the Bengals one of two NFL teams with three WRs to reach that mark. Chase led Cincinnati in receptions (87), receiving yards (1046) and receiving TDs (nine) to earn his second Pro Bowl selection, while Higgins (1029) eclipsed the 1000-yard plateau for a second straight season.
Walters served as offensive coordinator at the University of Central Florida from 2016-17. He inherited the FBS' 127th-ranked offense and 125th-ranked scoring offense from 2015, but by '17 had the Knights ranked fifth in yards per game (530.5) and first in scoring (48.2). In 2017, he helped guide UCF to a 13-0 record and was named a finalist for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's top assistant coach.
One of the first things Bengals head coach Zac Taylor did in 2021 is move Troy Walters, one of those watch list young assistants in the league, to wide receivers coach and it is hard pressed to find an assistant more deserving for an NFL promotion than the man schooling his players on how to beat the hard press.
Job Titles:
- Coach
- Head
- S Weekly Q & a With Geoff Hobson
Phoenix, Ariz. _ Bengals head coach Zac Taylor met the national media Monday at the NFL spring meetings.
Since the only two things that really hold Zac Taylor's interest are his family and coaching the Bengals, he only has to look at the biggest items in his Paycor Stadium office to realize how far both have come. He gets another reminder this week at the NFL owners' meetings, where he and his buddy Matt LaFleur are the league's eighth longest-tenured coaches as they start their fifth seasons in an industry that eats its young.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor joins the Steelers' Bill Cowher (2004-05) and the Ravens' John Harbaugh (2011-12) as the only AFC North coaches to take their teams to back-to-back AFC title games. He talks about the journey to Sunday's game (6:30 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in his weekly chat with Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson.
Zac Taylor On Historic Postseason Success, The Taylor Family Doomsday Scenario And Building A "Forever" Tradition
As he prepares for Sunday's AFC Divisional in Buffalo (3 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) as the winningest postseason coach in Bengals history, head coach Zac Taylor spoke with Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson.
On Sunday night in the Wild Card Game against the Ravens (8:15-Cincinnati's Channel 5), Zac Taylor becomes the first coach in Bengals history to coach back-to-back opening round home playoff games. He began the week talking to Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson.
In a short practice week with Saturday's Christmas Eve game looming (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in New England, head coach Zac Taylor spoke with Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, offensive line coach Frank Pollack and Jackson Carman, the team's second round pick, spoke with the media after round two. Find out what they said as the Bengals added to their offensive line.
Zac Taylor was named the 10th head coach in Bengals history on Feb. 4, 2019. The 2023 season is his fifth in the position after a '22 campaign in which he led the team to a second consecutive AFC North Division title and a repeat appearance in the AFC Championship.
Zac Taylor was named the 10th head coach in Bengals history on Feb. 4, 2019. The 2023 season is his fifth in the position after a '22 campaign in which he led the team to a second consecutive AFC North Division title and a repeat appearance in the AFC Championship.
Through four seasons in Cincinnati, Taylor holds marks of 28-36-1 in regular season and 5-2 in postseason. Under Taylor's leadership in 2022, the Bengals tied a team record for regular-season wins (12) and consecutive wins (eight) to earn the No. 3 seed in the AFC Playoffs, after beginning the year with a 4-4 record. In defeating Baltimore in the Wild Card Playoff and Buffalo in the Divisional Playoff, Taylor became one of just 13 head coaches in NFL history who have won five of their first six career postseason games. He once again oversaw a dynamic offense that ranked in the top 10 leaguewide in scoring (seventh, 26.1 points per game), total yards (eighth, 360.5 per game), and passing yards (fifth, 265.0). In Taylor's offense, QB Joe Burrow further established himself among the NFL's elite signal callers and set single-season team records for completions (414) and passing TDs (35), while earning his first career Pro Bowl selection. Taylor also worked with a talented pass-catching group that battled injuries throughout the season, but still managed to boast a pair of 1000-yard receivers in WRs Ja'Marr Chase (1046) and Tee Higgins (1029). Cincinnati's offensive line featured four new starters, but rapidly improved as the year progressed and allowed no more than two sacks in each of the team's final eight regular-season games.