Weeks after being fired by the Cleveland Browns, Hue Jackson might be in line to replace the second-longest tenured coach in the NFL.
The Cincinnati Bengals hired Jackson as a special assistant to head coach Marvin Lewis, and on Sunday Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported that the “growing sense around the league” is that Jackson will succeed Lewis when he retires or steps down.
Lewis has coached Cincinnati since 2003 and brought the team to the playoffs seven times. The Bengals’ playoff record in that time is 0-7.
Lewis’ longevity despite limited success has become a running joke in football — that there’s nothing Lewis could do to lose his job. However, Lewis is 60 and could opt to retire or transition to a front office role.
Jackson is in his third stint with the Bengals. He was their wide receivers coach from 2004 to 2006 and coached in various roles from 2012 to 2015, including offensive coordinator in the latter two years.
Team owner Mike Brown likes to “do things his own way,” La Canfora wrote, and hires from “within the Bengals family of former coaches and players.”
As the Browns’ head coach, Hue Jackson went 1-31 in his first two seasons but brought the Bengals to 2-5-1 to start 2018, with Baker Mayfield at quarterback, before being let go.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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