Bengals coaching profile: Doug Rosfeld

You really gain an understanding for how vast an NFL coaching staff really is when a new head coach comes to town. Now that Zac Taylor has taken over the Bengals, he has been filling out his staff. One position that may fly under the radar is bringing in Doug Rosfeld as Cincinnati’s new director of coaching operations.

Rosfeld has quite the history in the area of Cincinnati football. He has made several stops at a few programs in the area as someone who helps on and off the field, which is something that probably made him appealing to add to Taylor’s staff.

Résumé

• 2005-2015: Moeller assistant coach (focused on OL)
• 2009-2014: Moeller (Head Rugby Coach
• 2015-2017: University of Cincinnati (Director of Player Development)
• 2017-2018: Moeller (Head Coach)

Obviously, Rosfeld is missing experience as a coach at a high level, but then again you shouldn’t expect a team’s director of coaching operations to be a well-traveled veteran coach.

That doesn’t mean Rosfeld can’t play an important role with the Bengals. It is interesting that when Taylor and Rosfeld had experience on the same staff it was while the two were at the University of Cincinnati. Rosfeld’s job at that time had less to do with his coaching ability and more of his ability to engage with players off the field. He essentially served as a mentor to make sure players were staying on task in the classroom and off the field. You can never have too many people who are adept at motivating people on your football team.

It should also be noted that Rosfeld played center at the University of Cincinnati, and he was All-Conference-USA in 1999 and 2000. With as bad as the Bengals have been at protecting the quarterback the past few seasons, Any coach coming in who could possible play a role in turning that position around should be viewed as a positive.

Rosfeld is also only 39, which makes him barely older than the 35-year-old Taylor leading the team. It is obvious that there is a rush of youthfulness taking over Cincinnati, and Rosfeld is a piece of the wave.

This is the type of hire where you shouldn’t be surprised if Rosfeld gets a promotion in the coming seasons as an assistant or positional coach if a current coach heads elsewhere. It is clear that Taylor thinks highly of him, but without real experience coaching at a higher level was probably too tough of a sell for anything much higher than director of coaching operations.