An offseason ago, the Cincinnati Bengals pulled a rather shocking move at the safety position — and now they have brought on a defensive coordinator with quite an interesting connection to a major free agent.
The Bengals hired Lou Anarumo as defensive coordinator, another Zac Taylor connection, albeit the most embattled one given the length of time it took to find him.
Interestingly, Anarumo helped coach Landon Collins with the New York Giants, who as of now sounds like he’s on the fast track to free agency:
A quality, 25-year-old defensive back doesn’t usually make it to market, so the link here is at least worth mentioning.
While the Bengals solved many of their problems with Jessie Bates, it couldn’t hurt to add a talent like Collins. He could rotate in and also see plenty of work in subpackages, coming down like a linebacker in certain situations.
Granted, Collins will cost some money and the Bengals don’t often go that route in free agency. But the front office is clearly all-in on giving Taylor what he wants, so Anarumo telling Taylor he’d like one of his former players and Taylor passing it up the chain could lead to some surprises.
At the least, it’s something to think about. Few saw the Bengals cutting a starter like George Iloka last year. And while Shawn Williams is just fine next to Bates, there isn’t any such thing as too many quality defensive backs. The Bengals certainly have the cap space and air of unpredictability surrounding them to keep the offseason interesting.
