Report: Cincinnati Bengals Head Coach Zac Taylor 'Paused' Defensive Coordinator Search to Speak With Al Golden

Cincinnati is finalizing a deal to hire Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden to run its defense. Golden helped lead the Fighting Irish to Monday night’s College Football Playoff national championship game where they lost to Ohio State. He is expected to officially sign with the team on Thursday.

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor acknowledges fans after the victory over the Denver Broncos at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kati

The Dolphins are scheduled to play a home game in the upcoming season against Cincinnati, though one of their home games will be played in Spain.

The Cincinnati Bengals have reportedly found their next defensive coordinator – and he has prior experience under head coach Zac Taylor.

Cincinnati has a prime candidate in Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden, who was the club's linebacker coach in 2020 and 2021 under Taylor's staff. Just last night, Golden competed in the national championship against Ohio State. While Notre Dame lost to a buzzsaw of a Buckeyes squad, Golden's defense was remarkable this season.

The Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator job has been open for more than two weeks now, but there hasn't been much movement on a possible hiring and now we know why: The team was waiting for Notre Dame to finish its season.

Former Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is the other. The Notre Dame defensive coordinator is preparing for Monday night's National Championship Game against Ohio State. That's a big reason why the Bengals' search felt like it came to a halt earlier this week.