Now-former New York Giants secondary coach Lou Anarumo has been hired as the new defensive coordinator for the Bengals.
It looks like a New York Giants defensive coach has found a new home, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.
The Bengals officially hired Giants defensive backs coach Lou Anarumo as their new defensive coordinator on Thursday. This finally completes the first complete coaching staff for the Bengals in the post-Marvin Lewis era. The Bengals fired Lewis after the 2018 season. He was previously the head coach in Cincy since 2003.
Anarumo previously served as the defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins from 2012-2017 before his lone season with Big Blue. Newly-hired Bengals head coach Zac Taylor worked on the Dolphins staff with Anarumo from 2012-2015. Taylor was previously the quarterbacks coach for the Super Bowl runner-up Los Angeles Rams.
“I’ve always had great respect for Lou, and I know he is a tremendous defensive coach,” Taylor told the media. “He’s a great fit for what we want to build here in Cincinnati. Lou is an excellent communicator who the players will have great respect for, and he will get the best out of them.”
Anarumo will join the Bengals staff and help improve a defense that was extremely below-average in 2018. The Bengals were ranked 29th in the NFL in rushing defense. As a team, they allowed 4.7 yards per carry and an average of 137.8 rushing yards per game. Cincinnati also finished 30th in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing a total of 455 points.
This past year, the passing defense for the Giants was ranked 23rd in the NFL. Big Blue allowed an average of 252.8 passing yards per game in 2018.
The Giants just hired coach Henry Baker earlier in February to work as an assistant defensive backs coach. There’s a chance they’ll promote him to the head defensive backs coach, but they also could always look towards other options.
Here’s to hoping Anarumo finds success with his new position in his new organization.
