Cincinnati Bengals Eye Hiring Former Safety as First Step in Improving Communication on Defense

INDIANAPOLIS – Jordan Kovacs has been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals coaching staff since 2019, but he’s never felt more at home than he does this offseason.

After three seasons as a defensive quality control coach and two assisting with the linebackers, Kovacs received a promotion earlier this month to coach the safeties, the position he played at the University of Michigan and for three seasons in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins.

Cincinnati Bengals Hire Former Safety Jordan Kovacs To Coach Safeties

Kovacs’ promotion came after former safeties coach Rob Livingston, one of the seven holdovers from the Marvin Lewis era, left to be Deion Sanders’ defensive coordinator at the University of Colorado.

“As soon as that thing popped for Rob, (head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo) both called me and were excited for me,” Kovacs said. “It obviously was a dream come true. And to be able to stay with Cincinnati, it’s been a place where I’ve cut my teeth the last few years. So I’m excited to be here.”

Kovacs becomes the sixth Cincinnati assistant on the staff to coach the position he played in the NFL, joining James Casey (tight ends), Frank Pollack (offensive line), Troy Walters (wide receivers), Marion Hobby (defensive line), and Ben Jacobs (special teams).

The importance of that is something Jim Harbaugh tried to convey to Kovacs when he hired him as an assistant at Michigan in 2017.

“One of the first things he did was set expectations for myself, and he talked about how I’m a former player, and he was a former player, and he always finds himself drawing back on his playing experiences, whether it’s on the field or off the field,” Kovacs said.

“I don’t think I realized at the time what exactly he meant. Then when I recently moved back to the safety room, I realized I can just put myself in their shoes. I can think through techniques, think through peddle and brake, think through those different things. And off the field, I feel like I can relate to these guys.

“Being in the NFL is not always the easiest thing. So just being able to be a guy who can relate to their situations and give them a new perspective is a valuable thing.”

Anarumo was the defensive backs coach in Miami when Kovacs appeared in 28 games from 2013-15. When Anarumo finished talking to reporters Thursday morning, he asked who was next. When informed it was Kovacs, he said to make sure to ask him about the game against the Tennessee Titans in 2015.

So what happened?

“First of all, it was a blowout, so I was actually in the game,” Kovacs said. “I think it was Lou’s first game coordinating (after the team fired former Bengals assistant Kevin Coyle). “We’re up big late in the game, and Lou was probably getting a little stingy and hoping to continue a shutout. He called Cover 2, but the signal from our sideline looked a lot like our Cover 0.

“So I’m getting ready to blitz, and I realized late that it’s supposed to be Cover 2, so I hauled ass back, and Lou is on the sideline yelling, ‘What in the hell are you doing?’ Just in true Lou fashion,” Kovacs said.

“I got back to my deep path, they didn’t hit a big completion on us. So I don’t think it was that big of a deal. Lou is still holding onto it.”

Later, with only seconds remaining, Anarumo actually dialed up the zero blitz, and Kovacs got to quarterback Marcus Mariota for his first — and only — sack of his career.

In addition to being a humorous story, it’s also relevant.

Communication issues were a big reason why the Bengals gave up 93 explosive passes last season, fourth most in the league. And it’s the No. 1 issue Kovacs must address as he assumes control of the young starting safety duo Jordan Battle and Dax Hill — if Hill remains in that spot.

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“In my opinion, that’s where the position starts,” Kovacs said. “You’re the quarterback on the back end. You’ve got to communicate, and you’ve got to tackle well. But again, it all starts with communication.

“We’ve all got to be on the same page. We’re running the show back there, and we have to communicate vocally, and we have to communicate visually. If you’re not all on the same page, then we don’t have a shot.”

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