Cincinnati Bengals: Hue Jackson Rejoins Coaching Staff

In a surprising move, the Cincinnati Bengals have brought former Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson back to their coaching staff—on defense.

Jackson—who, contrary to some reports, is not the "player to be named later" in the Raiders' 2011 trade for former Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer—will be a defensive backs and special teams assistant.

Jackson has never worked on the defensive side of the ball, but has some special teams experience, albeit more than 20 years ago. He's not unfamiliar with the Bengals, however, having worked under head coach Marvin Lewis from 2004 through 2006 as the team's wide receivers coach.

At first glance, it appears that the hire could be a thank you of sorts for sending Cincinnati so many draft picks in exchange for Palmer—a move that helped Jackson lose his job in Oakland.

However, it's more likely that Lewis, who has known Jackson for some time, found a spot for him on his roster that no other team appeared to have.

Jackson was my favorite option to replace Bruce Arians as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh. However, the Steelers chose former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley without ever considering Jackson.

The Bengals job could be a good role for Jackson, as he has spent much of his career teaching quarterbacks and receivers how to exploit secondaries. Now, he can teach cornerbacks and safeties how best to defend the pass.

He joins the staff as an assistant to Mark Carrier, whom the Bengals hired as the defensive backs coach on Monday.

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