Cincinnati Bengals fans know all too well how good they have it with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
But the greater NFL world, at least until last year, seemed to mostly sleep on just how good Anarumo’s defenses performed while not possessing a ton of big names and continuing to get strong seasons out of projects such as Eli Apple.
But the proverbial tide appears to be turning on this front, with Anarumo sitting as the second-overall ranked defensive coordinator in a new project from Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema:
The Bengals’ coaching staff, as a whole, has ascended the ranks of reputation and recognition over the past few seasons, but Anarumo has arguably risen the most. In 2019, his first season as defensive coordinator, Cincinnati allowed 26.3 points per game, 25th in the league. Since then, the team has ranked 21st in 2020, 13th in 2021 and fifth in 2022, allowing just 19.6 points per game last season. They were also a top-five unit in expected points allowed per play in 2022.
It just again goes to show how lucky Zac Taylor and the Bengals are that they continue to enjoy an unprecedented amount of coordinator continuity despite multiple years as a Super Bowl contender now.
Anarumo returns alongside his fellow coordinators Brian Callahan and Darrin Simmons and will likely again put up a strong performance as he both seeks to push the Bengals to a Super Bowl and continue to have his name come up in head-coaching conversations.
