Who should be the next DC?

[TJHoushmandzadeh's Shiny Shoes]

(11-24-2020, 08:27 PM)DesertBengal Wrote: If Lou gets fired and Zac stays, I think it’s going to be slim picking for a new DC.  

Zac would be entering a make or break year, and with another dismal season could be fired.  What DC candidate with other options would want to align themselves with Zac, only to possibly be fired after 1 season when a new head coach comes in and wants to bring in “their guys”.

Unless the DC candidate really believes in Zac and his ability to turn things around, I would think a young DC candidate will see this as possibly a 1-year gig and not very appealing.  The exception would be guys like Zimmer and Dan Quinn who would be looking for another head coaching opportunity and may just have to wait out a year to possibly supplant Zac.

I'd look at it a different way.

The DC is in a no-lose situation if he can make a positive impact. If Zac turns things around (and with Burrow at QB this is a realistic prospect), the Bengals become a hot team and with that comes opportunities.

If Zac doesn't turn it around he's out and an up and coming DC will have the inside line on the HC position.

Whilst there are lots of holes on that D there is also some talent to work with. You'll have the best safety in the League to work with. You'll have DJ Reader returning up front. That's two elite players. Sam Hubbard and Logan Wilson look like two young cornerstones. Maybe they re-sign one or both of WJIII and Lawson. With the franchise QB in place on a cheap rookie deal, Tee Higgins and Boyd at WR, Mixon at RB, Jonah Williams at LT you've got a lot of the offensive pieces in place meaning the draft and free agency focus can be on D. OK, they'll probably take Sewell but after that you should get some decent picks to work with: the 35th and 67th picks this year, probably the first rounder the year after. 

This is a much more attractive proposition than the job would have been a year or two ago.