One of the dominant themes that has come through Bengals head coach Zac Taylor’s latest hiring process is the development of young players.

On Monday, Taylor completed his offseason coaching additions headlined by the college game's hottest defensive coordinator in Al Golden, and the two new defensive assistants are long-time NFL position coaches who developed enough talent to stay nearly a decade with teams that made postseason runs.

Defensive line coach/run game coordinator Jerry Montgomery worked nine of the last 10 seasons with the Packers, and linebackers coach Mike Hodges is coming off an eight-year run with the Saints.

"To stay nine years with one position speaks volumes to me," Golden said.

Last week, new offensive line coach Scott Peters, who served four years as the Browns assistant line coach before being the head man in New England last year, counts development as his strong suit.

All eyes are going to be on Golden as he inherits a defense teeming with early draft picks.

Since he left the Bengals to coach Note Dame after the Super Bowl season of 2021, the Bengals have drafted two first-round defenders (edge Myles Murphy and cornerback and Dax Hill), three second-rounders (cornerbacks Cam Taylor-Britt and DJ Turner II and tackle Kris Jenkins Jr.) and two third-rounders (safety Jordan Battle and tackle McKinnley Jackson) who are still with the club.

"Making sure that each player knows the two or three things that they've got to get better at while we're learning the systems and just really drilling down on that because everybody needs to improve," Golden said. "Everybody, starting with me, as soon as they come back, and that's what we're going to do. We're going to make sure it's a really tight package and make sure it's condensed in terms of what they need to improve on and keep it small, keep it small, keep it small, refine it. Play fast, play with energy, and play together. "

And that means the 2025 draft class, too. In college, they call it "onboarding." In the pros, they just say 'rookie."

"The one thing that we were proud of last year in South Bend was the number of freshmen that played for us and played significantly. And to do that, you have to be great at onboarding," Golden said. "There has to be a quick transition. They have to know precisely where their eyes need to go in the playbook, exactly what techniques we're teaching, and take the source to them. Go right to them in terms of how they learn best, and whether that's on their phone, through video, whatever that case may be, just make it really, really accessible, so they can be a continuous learner."

BIG DRAFT RESOURCE

The Bengals player personnel department got immersed in the draft process last weekend at the East-West Game in Arlington, Texas, and it keeps going this week at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Although the coaches don't partake in the all-star games, they are involved in the draft process more than most coaching staffs, and Taylor says Golden's knowledge of college rosters is going to be used before and after the draft.

"That's a resource we're going to use in all three phases. He's been at Notre Dame, and they play teams throughout the country, so he's seen the best athletes for probably two or three different teams and he's coached against them," Taylor said. "I think there's probably a lot of prospects where we're going to go through this draft where we'll be getting Al up there and give his two cents on scheming if we're playing against a guy or plenty of guys at Notre Dame he had. That's a great resource we'll be sure to utilize."

According to the Senior Bowl web site, three Notre Dame players have accepted invites: safety Xavier Watts, defensive lineman RJ Oben and quarterback Riley Leonard.

TACKLING TACKLING

The Bengals were inconsistent tacklers last season, and Golden talked Monday how he'll address it.

"We are going to convene and plot a course for how we want to tackle, how we want to disrupt the football. We are going to teach it, we are going to drill it. We are going to quality control it," Golden said. "We are going to show the application to the game and then we are going to show the standard. Whether that's Bengals or other guys in our division or around the league that we are chasing that standard."

He seems to think there's one definite path to success, whether it's tackling, stopping the run or defending the pass.

"I don't want anything to be gray," Golden said. "I want the guys to be a stimulus-response defense. Just when you recognize, go. And part of that is just how do we make it quiet in their minds?"

TREY TALK

Golden wasted no time reaching out to his best player, NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson. Golden's last year here as linebackers coach was Hendrickson's first as a Bengal, and it turned out his career-high 14 sacks in 2021 were just the beginning.

"I had so much respect and a great relationship when I was here last time and just watching him evolve as a pass rusher," Golden said. "Our job is going to continue to put him in positions, number one, earn the right to rush the passer. Get in more passing downs, and get him opportunities and get him the matchup that we need. Make no mistake. When you have somebody like that, it's job No. 1 to put them in position to continue to do that or surpass that."

He used Hendrickson as an example of how he handles kids and vets.

"Trey's going to want to be challenged and he's going to want to be coached hard, but Trey has earned a different level of respect than perhaps a rookie that's coming in," Golden said. "I think you can treat people differently, but I think it's really important that we try to coach them all the same, be uniform in terms of what the standard is and what the expectations are in each particular context, and then go from there."

CAPTAIN CALL

Bengals left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., a big fan of Montgomery from their Oklahoma days, has a new fan in Golden. He stopped by to chat Monday and gave a delighted Golden an ear full.

His meeting with Brown was a welcome reminder of the locker room brew they had in the Super Bowl season.

"Just how many gym rats can you get on your team and how many leaders can you get on your team, how many football guys," Golden said. "Orlando stopped to see me out of nowhere and he couldn't stop talking. I mean that in the kindest way.

"He was just so energized, and I was like, 'You were a captain weren't you?' I could tell. Those are the kind of guys when I was here last time, some of the linebackers that we identified who were leaders. They were guys that hung around football, that wanted to be here, that made us better and that's what we have to do at every position on defense."

MORE MONTY

Brown Jr. won't have to introduce himself to Montgomery. Before Montgomery went to Green Bay, he was the Oklahoma D-Line coach who left quite an impression on the freshman.

"When you're a freshman under coach (Bob) Stoops, you're a practice dummy on scout team," Brown said. "Coach Mont emphasized to me to be myself. Physical and nasty and he let me be that way in practice even if it got his guys mad at times. He taught me so much from that side of the ball. He's amazing. I know he's obsessed with the sport and the D-Line. He's special."

CLOSE TO HOME

Golden met with the Cincinnati media Monday, and the big topic was how his family stayed here the past three years while he worked four hours up the road at Notre Dame. He says he got only one speeding ticket between last Thursday and Super Bowl LVI, and that was written on his first day on the job. He made sure on Monday that he thanked Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman for helping him make it work.

"Hard. Hard. Process was great," Golden said. "Just because Marcus was so amenable to what I needed, and what my needs were with the family," Golden said. "That was a challenge but I think if it was out on the West Coast or something, we probably could not have done it or managed it. It worked out for us, and I still got to spend an awful lot of time with my family, which was great."

But Taylor can't get him out of the office.

"I'm trying to get Al to take days off. It doesn't appear he's excited to take any days off," Taylor said.

Golden figures he hasn't taken a break since July 16 and he's not looking for any because, he says, the new job has him revved up.

I got in the care at 5 a.m. on Thursday, and when I made that right off (I-75) and saw the stadium, I knew I was home," Golden said. "He keeps telling me to take a break, but I'm so energized by this opportunity."