Charles Burks enters his second season on the Bengals' staff in 2023 and serves as secondary/cornerbacks coach. He previously coached the Miami Dolphins' cornerbacks in 2021.
Burks began his NFL coaching career in Miami in 2019, spending two seasons as a coaching assistant with a focus on the team's cornerbacks before being promoted to cornerbacks coach in 2021. In 2021, he helped CB Xavien Howard further establish himself as one of the game's top corners, as the sixth-year veteran ranked tied for fourth in the NFL in INTs (five), while tying for sixth in PDs (16). Howard earned his third career Pro Bowl nod and second during Burks' Miami tenure.
In 2020, Howard was a first-team All-Pro selection after recording a league-leading 10 INTs, the most by an NFL player since 2007. The number also tied the franchise's single-season record. Burks worked with a Dolphins defense that led the NFL in takeaways (29) and third-down defense (31.2 percent) while finishing sixth in scoring (21.1 points allowed per game).
Prior to joining the Dolphins staff, Burks spent seven seasons in the collegiate ranks. He served as defensive coordinator at Southeastern Oklahoma State from 2014-18, overseeing a unit in 2018 that led all of NCAA Division II in pass defense (118.7 yards allowed per game). That season, the Savage Storm also ranked in the top 10 nationally in both total defense (sixth; 251.2 total yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (seventh; 15.4 points allowed per game).
In 2016, Burks tutored CB Raheem Wilson, who led Division II with 24 PDs and recorded five INTs en route to earning NCAA Division II All-America honors.
Burks coached at three schools in three seasons before Southeastern Oklahoma State, serving as secondary coach at Texas A&M-Commerce (2013), assistant secondary/cornerbacks coach at West Texas A&M (2012) and secondary coach at his alma mater, East Central University (2011).
A three-year letterman (2008-10) at East Central, located in Ada, Okla., Burks played cornerback for a Tigers team that won a Lone Star Conference North Division championship.
Burks was born in Grand Prairie, Texas. He earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a minor in sociology from East Central, where he also received a master's degree in sports administration.
