It didn’t take long for the former Cleveland Browns head coach to find another job. He’s heading back to the Cincinnati Bengals to be special assistant to the head coach.
The Bengals fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin after getting trounced by the Saints this past week 51-14. Head coach Marvin Lewis has now taken over the defensive play calling.
Lewis was asked in a press conference on Monday how he would handle the extra workload and he answered, “I’ve got a plan.”
Being an offensive mind, it will be interesting to see what specific duties he will have. Jackson was the Bengals’ receivers coach from 2004 to 2006 before working for the Falcons and Raven and eventually becoming the head coach of the Raiders for one year in 2010. Jackson returned to the Bengals coaching staff in 2012 as a secondary assistant and eventually working his way towards the offensive coordinator position in 2014.
“I have a great comfort level with Hue and his ability to assist me with day-to-day responsibilities on defense, including analyzing our opponents and helping me on game days with the players and defensive coaches,” Lewis said.
The Bengals offense did well under Jackson and he was a hot commodity in the offseason before the 2016 season. He earned the head coach gig with the Browns and things were a disaster, going 3-36-1 before being fired two weeks ago.
“I’m pleased to have the opportunity to join the bengals this season,’ Jackson said. “There is a lot of talent on this team, and I look forward to doing my part to help it finish the season strong.”
The Bengals still have to play the Browns two times this season and Jackson will certainly be able to provide good insight on how to game plan against them.
Lewis and Jackson are known to be great friends and they’ve stayed in touch while on different teams. You can’t help but notice its probably one of the main reasons Lewis hired him in the first place.
