Closing out a difficult season in which they missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record despite winning five straight games down the stretch, change is coming for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Just not the change on the coaching staff many were expecting.
The Bengals reportedly fired longtime defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo Monday morning, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, per source. pic.twitter.com/2GnXHTgOZs
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 6, 2025
Anarumo had been the defensive coordinator since the 2019 season and oversaw a defense that helped the Bengals reach the Super Bowl in the 2020 season. The longtime defensive coordinator wasn’t the only member of the Bengals’ coaching staff to lose his job Monday, though.
Along with Anarumo, the Bengals also reportedly fired offensive lien coach Frank Pollack, defensive line coach Marion Hobby, and linebackers coach James Bettcher, according to a tweet from NFL Insider Jordan Schultz.
The Bengals have parted ways with DC Lou Anarumo, OL coach Frank Pollack, LB coach James Bettcher, and DL coach Marion Hobby. pic.twitter.com/ljHxURhchj
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 6, 2025
Pollack had been with the Bengals since 2021 as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator, while Hobby had been the defensive line coach since 2021 as well. Bettcher had been with the Bengals since 2022 after serving as the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants from 2015-19 before spending a year with the San Francisco 49ers.
