Getty Defensive coordinator Al Golden of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Cincinnati Bengals’ nation was shocked early last month when their long time defensive end Sam Hubbard announced his retirement at the age of 29. This announcement came less than two months after the team reported they would be hiring Al Golden to serve as defensive coordinator.

Goldens predecessor, Lou Anarumo, was with the team for six seasons. Though some are underwhelmed with the lack of turnover on the roster as the team leaves Lou’s reign and welcomes in Al.

“What we learned about the Bengals’ plan to fix their historically poor defense was abundantly clear: Bet on Golden,” wrote The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. “(Golden) will be given the same core of players that got Anarumo fired last year and be asked to deliver dramatically different results.”

However, new Bengals’ linebacker coach Mike Hodges confirms that what you can expect to see in 2025 is unlike anything Paycor has seen before.

“It’s been fun to build this thing out, but, ultimately, we’re creating our own defense here,” Hodges said in a sit down with Geoff Hobson of bengals.com. “We’re not going to be a carbon copy of anything that any one of us has done anywhere else. We’ve built this thing together.”

When asked what the Bengals’ defense needed to add going into the 2025 season, Hodges answer implied that the team was looking to be multiple in the upcoming season.

“I think when I get asked that question, It’s important to find the best player,” Hodges said. “It’s dangerous to say, hey, we need a WILL or a MIKE or a SAM. I think what we have to do is be able to find the best player and then adjust the scheme. Let’s not pigeonhole ourselves into our scheme by saying we have to have this kind of guy and miss out on a player that could be a really impact player.”

Bengals Looking To Young Edge To Make Leap

The Bengals selected Myles Murphy with the 28th pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Now with two seasons under his belt, Murphy says he is approaching his third season with a different mentality.

“I know I’ve got everything that it takes to dominate in the league,” Murphy said on the teams official website. “It’s just building up the confidence to know I can make those plays that are ahead of me … (Working on) Being great at stuff that doesn’t take talent or athleticism.”

Among the things that don’t take talent Murphy referenced his diet, or more specifically, his relationship with cereal.

“I haven’t eaten cereal in three months,” Murphy confessed. “I feel that in itself, has changed me … because there’s a lot of dense, packed sugar in cereal … which a lot of people don’t think about. Most mornings, I just do some black coffee and I call it a morning.”

Are The Bengals Thinking Linebacker In The Draft

When asked about finding a player to stand strong aside their talented middle linebacker Logan Wilson, Hodges alluded to a deep linebacker class coming out of college.

“I think it’s a good crop.” coach Hodges admitted. “I think there’s a good group up top and then there’s a gap, and then there’s another kind of bundle of guys in the middle of the pack that are going to compete for that three, four spot.”