A recent report from Drae Harris of Sports Illustrated suggests that the Cincinnati Bengals have narrowed down their search for a new defensive coordinator to two candidates. Those two candidates are Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, with Golden being considered the favorite to land the gig.

Patrick Graham and Al Golden are reportedly finalists for the DC job in Cincinnati

The Bengals have already interviewed Graham for the position, but they have yet to have any contact with Golden, who will coach in the College Football Championship on Monday, Jan. 20. Perhaps they’re waiting until after the college season ends to contact him. Golden, of course, has some familiarity with the Bengals, as he served as the team’s linebacker coach prior to taking the job in Notre Dame.

Golden was asked about the potential of returning to Cincinnati prior to Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory over Penn State in the Orange Bowl last week, but it wasn’t a topic he was interested in discussing at the time.

“Look, it took us 30 years to get to this point here,” Golden said. “I’m not worried about anything else but how to stop Penn State. And I mean that. Two really good backs. A tight end that is dominant. We just talked about the quarterback and a scheme that is really, really challenging. That’s the only thing we’re focused on right now.

“I’ve talked to nobody,” Golden added. “I can’t even get out of the facility right now. We just had the shortest week of the year.”

If Golden is indeed the favorite to land the job in Cincinnati, we should expect to hear about communication between the two sides next week after the title game. Given Golden’s previous history in Cincinnati and the success he’s had in Notre Dame, it seems like a move that could potentially make sense for both sides.