Bengals LB Logan Wilson: DC Al Golden will empower us

The Bengals had one of the best offenses in the league in 2024, but they missed the playoffs because they also had one of the worst defenses.

An inability to stop opposing offenses led to a 4-8 start that dug the team too deep a hole to escape with a strong finish to the year. They responded by firing defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and hiring former Notre Dame coordinator Al Golden to run the unit in 2025.

The offseason program got underway on Monday, which gives the team's defensive players their first chance to learn what life will be like with Golden. Defensive back Dax Hill called Golden "stern in a good way" and linebacker Logan Wilson said he thinks the change will be a positive one in Cincinnati.

"He's a player's coach. I think he'll empower us. It will give us a different type of energy," Wilson said, via the team's website. "Get back to the fundamentals of ball disruption and things like that. Turnovers are obviously the big part of playing defense. Especially the more we can give the ball back to our offense with how explosive they are."

The last part is key for the Bengals because hoping to pull out wins in shootouts is a tough way to contend for the postseason even if you have the firepower to light up the scoreboard.