Bengals to hire Raiders QB coach Callahan as OC

The Cincinnati Bengals will hire Oakland Raiders quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan as their offensive coordinator, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden told reporters at the Senior Bowl on Tuesday. The Bengals are expected to hire Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as their new head coach, but they cannot do so until the Rams' season is over, which will be after Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3.

Taylor played quarterback at Nebraska from 2004-07 under Bill Callahan, Brian Callahan's father. Bill Callahan -- who is under contract as the Washington Redskins' offensive line coach -- reportedly also wants to join the Bengals' staff, although it's unclear if Washington will allow the move. Brian Callahan just finished his first year as quarterbacks coach with the Raiders, after holding the same position for two years with the Detroit Lions and one year with the Denver Broncos. He also spent five years as an offensive assistant in Denver. This will be his first coordinator job, although Taylor is expected to call plays and run his own offense.

Previous reports have indicated Taylor is targeting an experienced defensive coordinator, with Jack Del Rio and John Fox among the top candidates. Del Rio spent 2018 out of coaching after getting fired as the Raiders' head coach, and he is still getting paid by the team under an extension he signed after the 2016 season. He last served as a defensive coordinator from 2012-14 with the Broncos, working on the same staff as Brian Callahan.

Fox, coincidentally, was the head coach of those Broncos before parting ways with the team after the 2014 season. He is currently an ESPN analyst after getting fired as the head coach of the Chicago Bears last January. Fox has not been a defensive coordinator since he led the New York Giants' defense from 1997-2001. He had spent 16 straight seasons as a head coach for three different teams before joining ESPN last year.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)