Major looming decisions are keeping Cincinnati's draft strategy in flux, but here are some positions they'll likely be looking to address.

Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden has been named the Broyles Award winner as the nation's top assistant coach. Golden helped Notre Dame reach the national championship game last month before he was hired as the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive coordinator.

ESPN’s Aaron Schatz outlined “bold” predictions for the offseason and said the Bengals need to trade Hendrickson away: The Bengals need to rebuild this defense with not just one great edge rusher, and they need a fresh start with new defensive coordinator Al Golden.

The Cincinnati Bengals defense could look much different in 2025. With new defensive coordinator Al Golden inbound, one of the team’s most obvious cut candidates — Germaine Pratt — has already requested a trade.

Wide receiver Tee Higgins is a top priority for the Cincinnati Bengals entering the offseason. Perhaps Priority No. 1. Fixing the defense is 1B. That’s the task facing Duke Tobin and new defensive coordinator Al Golden.

Now that Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Germaine Pratt has requested a trade, the conversation shifts to where he might end up. At this point, there’s no if about the situation — Pratt is a $7.9 million cap hit in 2025 and an obvious cut candidate after his struggles last year and the defense getting a new coordinator with Al Golden.

Barring something shocking, the Cincinnati Bengals strongly project as a team about to use the early rounds of the 2025 NFL draft on defense for new coordinator Al Golden. Sitting in win-now mode, the Bengals might just pay up to keep Tee Higgins and might also pay up for offensive line upgrades on the interior,

Golden helped Notre Dame reach the national championship game last month before he was hired as the Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive coordinator.

The Bengals already moved on from their previous defensive coordinator in favor of Al Golden, who was stellar with Notre Dame this past season. However, Burrow has been applying pressure on the club to retain their core players.

Golden was the DC for Notre Dame starting in the 2023 season before most recently becoming the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals. The Broyles Award was established

New Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden is the latest Broyles Award winner in college football and he gave an extensive eight-plus minute speech to accept the honor following a stellar year from his Notre Dame defense.

Cincinnati Bengals Plan to Tag Tee Higgins, Hopeful About Long-Term ContractCINCINNATI – Nothing that happened around the NFL in 2024 or 2023 will have any bearing on how quickly Al Goden can be successful in replacing Lou Anarumo as the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator.