Hue Jackson to be hired by Bengals, who still have two meetings left vs. Browns
The Cleveland Browns couldn’t get rid of Hue Jackson that easily.
Jackson, who was surprised to be fired in midseason after going 3-36-1 as Browns head coach, wasn’t out of work long. Jackson will be “in Cincinnati imminently” to join the Bengals’ staff, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Jackson’s role in Cincinnati is unclear. He was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator before becoming Browns head coach, but Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor has done a good job calling plays this season.
The main reason to add Jackson might be found in the Bengals’ remaining schedule. Two of their seven remaining games are against the Browns. Jackson contributed to a lot of Browns losses, and presumably the Bengals are hoping Jackson helps Cleveland lose two more this season.
Hue Jackson knows the Browns well
For all the jokes we can make about how Jackson may not have known much at all about what would be the best strategies for the Browns, the truth is it’s going to be a massive edge for the Bengals to have him on staff for those two Browns games. Jackson seems to hold a grudge based on how things went in Cleveland, so he’s going to share everything he can to try to beat his former team.
As head coach, Jackson knows the ins and the outs of the Browns personnel very well. The Bengals have reasons to add Jackson — he was, after all, a successful offensive coordinator in Cincinnati — but the main reason might be that he’s the best scouting report possible for two remaining games.
The Bengals play the Browns on Nov. 25 and Dec. 23. The 5-4 Bengals have stumbled lately, but they’re still in the playoff race. Sweeping the Browns would be huge for their chances. Jackson should be able to help with that.
Jackson has a positive history with the Bengals
It’s an interesting spot for Jackson, if he lasts beyond those two Browns games. Marvin Lewis seems to have endless job security, but he just fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin on Monday. The Bengals have stumbled after a good start. Lewis’ seat might get hot at some point. While it seems inconceivable that a team would hire Jackson to be their next head coach after what he did with the Browns, the Bengals clearly still like him and he’ll be in the building. Stranger things have happened.
For now, a lot of Jackson’s value to the staff probably lies in those two Browns games. There might be some bad feelings on both sides for those meetings.
More from Yahoo Sports:
• ‘Hold up’: QB’s play call catches Halle Berry’s attention
• NFL star’s girlfriend suffers family tragedy at stadium
• Musburger sorry if anyone was ‘offended’ by tweet
• Report: Rockets break bad news to ‘Melo
– – – – – – –
Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Follow @YahooSchwab
Subscribe to The Yahoo Sports NFL Podcast
Apple Podcasts• Stitcher • Google Podcasts
