New Bengals cornerbacks coach Charles Burks cites a Bill Walsh minority coaching fellowship with the Lions in 2012 as a life-changing career opportunity.
Burks told Bengals.com that job changed his life because of the contacts it gave him in the coaching community.
“That was a great defensive staff,” Burks says. “Jim Schwartz was the head coach. Gunther Cunningham was the defensive coordinator. [Former Bengals linebackers coach] Matt Burke was there and he was here once. I learned a lot about scheme presentations, meetings, classroom aesthetics.”
From there, Burks had opportunities to join Division I college staffs, but he chose Division II jobs because they offered him more significant hands-on coaching roles, and eventually he got a call to join Brian Flores’ staff on the Dolphins three years ago. Now he’s new on the Bengals, and starting to get to know the cornerbacks in Cincinnati.
“Getting the relationships started,” Burks said. “It’s all about relationships.”
