FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons announced the completion of an interview with Lou Anarumo for the team's vacant defensive coordinator position Thursday.
The Falcons' interview with Anarumo is the third they've conducted in their search process. Atlanta completed an interview with University of Michigan defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale on Tuesday and New York Jets interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich on Wednesday.
Anarumo, who was born in Atlanta a month before the Falcons' inaugural season in 1966, has more than a decade of experience coaching in the NFL and has earned a reputation for experimentation and schematic flexibility. Here's what fans need to know.
Date of interview: Wednesday, Jan. 15
Last stop: Defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2019-24.
Resume highlights:
- Miami Dolphins (2012-17): After 23 years of coaching at the college level, Anarumo got his first NFL job as the Dolphins' defensive backs coach. He was named interim defensive coordinator in 2015 after Dan Campbell became Miami's interim head coach.
- New York Giants (2018): He held the title of defensive backs coach for the Giants.
- Cincinnati Bengals (2019-24): Anarumo became a full-time defensive coordinator for the first time with the Bengals in 2019. He held that position for six seasons before Cincinnati fired him after the 2024 season.
Local connections: The obvious connection between Anarumo and the Falcons is Jessie Bates III, who was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Anarumo was Bates' defensive coordinator from his second year in the league through the 2022 season before the safety signed with the Falcons in March 2023.
Prior to Bates hitting the free agency market at that time, he called Anarumo a "mad Italian scientist."
"Lou does a really good job of having open conversations within our whole entire group," Bates said in an interview on Jan. 25, 2023. "We call our defensive meeting room our living rooms. Any questions, any gray area, any time things come up, we make sure we have those conversations man-to-man. Lou has done a really good job of creating that family-oriented type of vibe around us. So, it makes it easy to ask those questions and all be on the same page. And it's worked out pretty well for us."
Why he's a candidate: When the Bengals were at the top of the league not too many years ago, Anarumo's defense played a major part in the rise.
Hitting a defensive peak in 2022, the Bengals had a top-10 unit in multiple categories that season, including being sixth in points allowed and fifth in touchdowns surrendered per drive.
That year saw Bates and fellow safety Vonn Bell notch four interceptions apiece, while defensive end Trey Hendrickson racked up eight sacks and 24 quarterback hits in his second season with the Bengals. He was ranked No. 73 by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023 list.
Usually running out of a base 4-3 with an emphasis on the value of the nickel, Anarumo was praised in that season for his "willingness to experiment, tweak design" and "adjust as needed to stop high-powered offenses," according to ESPN’s Ben Baby at the time.
Strikes against: Anarumo was relieved of his defensive coordinator duties directly following the 2024 season after two disappointing defensive seasons by the Bengals' unit.
Cincinnati finished 31st and 25th in total defense in 2023 and 2024. On average, Anarumo's defense gave up close to 350 yards per game in 2024, and ranked outside the top-20 in sacks, despite Hendrickson leading the league in both sacks (17.5) and quarterback pressures (92).
However, what's more is that throughout Anarumo's tenure with Cincinnati, there were not very many defensive stats that match that of the 2022 season for the Bengals. The unit only ranked inside the top-20 in yards per game allowed and points per game allowed in 2021 and 2022.
Which begs the question if that 2022 season was a one-hit wonder.
