The Cincinnati Bengals are wasting little time when it comes to searching for a successor for defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, as the team plans to interview New England Patriots defensive coordinator Demarcus Covington this week for the job, along with Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero.
Bengals set to interview Demarcus Covington, Patrick Graham for defensive coordinator role
Anarumo was recently relieved of his duties as Cincinnati's defensive coordinator after the Bengals failed to qualify for postseason play for a second consecutive season, due in large part to the poor play of the defense.
Covington has been a coach with the Patriots since 2017, and has served in a variety of roles including outside linebackers coach, defensive line coach and ultimately defensive coordinator. He took over as coordinator in New England prior to the '24 campaign, which was a complete disaster for the Patiots. They finished with a record of 4-13 and fired head coach Jerod Mayo as soon as their season came to an end.
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Given the team's struggles as a whole, it's tough to evaluate Covington as a coordinator, especially since it was his first season in the role. However, one might think that Cincinnati would want a defensive coordinator with a bit more experience, since the Bengals are a team firmly in win-now mode.
Las Vegas' Graham has more experience than Covington, as he's been a coach in the league since 2009 and has coached for the Patiots, Giants, Packers and Dolphins, in addition to the Raiders. He has been the defensive coordinator in Las Vegas since 2022. The Raiders had a middle-of-the-road defense in 2024, so it's unlikely that his hiring would be super exciting for fans in Cincinnati.
But, these are just the first couple interviews for the gig, and the Bengals will likely cast a pretty wide net for what head coach Zac Taylor deemed as a very desirable role.
"I think it's got to be as appealing as it could possibly be," Taylor said of the gig. "We've got some of the best players in the world, and it's a great organization to work for. It's a tremendous city to work in. It's the best fan base in all the world. I can keep listing the positives, but those are some of the main ones."
Look for the Bengals to line up more interviews in the coming days and weeks.