New York Giants defensive backs coach Lou Anarumo was named Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Thursday.
“I’ve always had great respect for Lou, and I know he is a tremendous defensive coach,” recently hired Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “He’s a great fit for what we want to build here at Cincinnati. Lou is an excellent communicator who the players will have great respect for, and he will get the best out of them.”
Before his stint with the Giants in 2018, Anarumo spent six seasons as Miami Dolphins defensive backs coach. He also served as the Dolphins’ interim defensive coordinator for the final 12 games of the 2015 season. Anarumo was a defensive backs coach at Syracuse, the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Harvard, Marshall, and Purdue before his first NFL job with the Dolphins. He and Taylor were on the Dolphins staff together from 2012-15.
Anarumo is the third Giants defensive assistant to depart the team’s coaching staff this offseason joining former defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend and assistant linebackers coach Rob Leonard.
Townsend, a 13-year NFL veteran and two-time Super Bowl winner, was named to the same position with the Chicago Bears. Townsend’s replacement is Henry Baker, a cornerbacks coach at Rutgers in 2017 and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2018. He also served in the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship, working in the Detroit Lions training camp in 2015 and Giants training camp in 2016.
Leonard joined the Dolphins as linebackers coach and will be replaced by Mike Dawson. Dawson comes to the Giants by way of the University of Nebraska. He spent three seasons on the Philadelphia Eagles’ coaching staff (2013-15) as a defensive quality control coach and defensive line assistant.
During Leonard’s Eagles stint, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur was the offensive coordinator while current linebackers coach Bill McGovern coached the outside linebackers. Leonard and McGovern also worked together at Boston College.
“We are thrilled to add Mike and Henry to our coaching staff,” Shurmur said. “They are both outstanding teachers, communicators, and motivators. They are also great people, and we look forward to both of them contributing to our success.”
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage and covers the NFL and the New York Giants. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
