Bengals hire offensive coordinator, three assistants

New Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor's staff is coming together, with offensive coordinator Brian Callahan heading the list of four new offensive assistants announced Thursday. Taylor, who has said he will call the plays himself, took Cincinnati's reins on Monday following his Los Angeles Rams' loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. He was the quarterbacks coach of the Rams.

Callahan, 34, was the quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders last season. Entering his 10th season in the NFL, he has also worked as an assistant with the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos. The Bengals also hired offensive line coach Jim Turner, assistant offensive line coach Ben Martin and tight ends coach James Casey.

"As I said in my news conference (on Tuesday), I'm focusing first on putting together a staff that our entire team will be proud of -- one our players will be excited to play for -- and these four coaches will be a big part of that," Taylor said in a release. "They are good teachers and good communicators who will think outside the box, and that's important for helping to develop the type of offense we plan to employ." Turner, 54, coached alongside Taylor with the Miami Dolphins. He was fired by the Dolphins in 2014 amidst the team's bullying scandal. He moved on to Texas A&M, where he was suspended in 2016 for making sexist comments at a football clinic for women. Turner coached the O-line with the Aggies for the past three seasons.

Casey, 34, spent the last three seasons on the staff at the University of Houston. He was an All-American tight end at Rice and played seven seasons in the NFL with the Houston Texans (2009-12), Philadelphia Eagles (2013-14) and Denver Broncos (2015). Martin, 35, was the offensive line coach at Bryant University in 2018. He spent two years as an offensive assistant with the Dolphins, working with Taylor and Turner.

As far as Taylor's search for a defensive coordinator, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that two college coaches on the radar are Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko. Pelissero also named former Falcons DC Marquand Manuel, Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn and Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant among those expected to get interview requests. Earlier this week, multiple outlets reported that Jack Del Rio -- considered a leading candidate for the DC position -- would not be taking the job after both sides decided it would not be a good fit. Also turning down a chance at the job was Dom Capers, who reportedly is in the running for a position with the Miami Dolphins or as a senior defensive adviser for the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to a Sirius XM report.

--Field Level Media