Bengals To Interview Todd Grantham
The Bengals are set to interview Todd Grantham for their defensive coordinator vacancy, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Grantham has been on the team’s radar in recent days after potential deals with Dom Capers and Jack Del Rio went sideways.
The Bengals also recently received permission to interview Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant, so their DC search is moving along. Former Falcons defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel, Texas A&M DC Mike Elko, and Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn are also said to be on the radar.
Grantham, 52, offers more experience than the Bengals’ other candidates. He served as the defensive coordinator of the Browns from 2005-07 before heading to the college ranks with stops at Louisville and UF. In the past, he’s also served as a defensive line coach for the Cowboys, Texans, and Colts.
Grantham reportedly made $1.4MM last year with the Gators, so the Bengals will have to come with a competitive offer if they want him on the sideline.
Bengals Hire High School Coach To Staff
- The Bengals looked to the local high school ranks for a staffer, hiring Cincinnati Moeller head coach Doug Rosfield to become the assistant to Zac Taylor, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Rosfield spent 11 total seasons at Moeller. In between those stays, he worked as the University of Cincinnati’s director of player development for three years.
Bengals Claim QB Brad Kaaya
The Bengals will bring in some additional Andy Dalton insurance. They added Brad Kaaya via waiver claim on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
The Colts waived Kaaya on Friday. He lands in a spot with more potential upward mobility and with a revamped coaching staff.
Cincinnati opted not to bring in a veteran backup to replace A.J. McCarron last year, and when Dalton went down last season, former sixth-round pick Jeff Driskel finished the season as the Bengals’ starter. Driskel’s 176 career pass attempts are 176 more than Kaaya has attempted.
But new Bengals HC Zac Taylor will attempt to see what Kaaya can do. New Bengals quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan likely played a role here; he was Kaaya’s position coach with the Lions in 2017.
A 2017 sixth-round pick, Kaaya will head to a fourth NFL city. The Lions, Panthers and Colts have cut ties with the former Miami quarterback who was once viewed as a possible first-round pick. Inconsistency dropped him to a Day 3 prospect.
Bengals Granted Permission To Interview Aubrey Pleasant
The Bengals requested permission to interview Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant for defensive coordinator last week, and Cincinnati has now been granted that opportunity, according to Vincent Bosnignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). Pleasant, regarded as a rising star in the coaching ranks, worked for the Browns and Redskins before joining Los Angeles in 2017. The Bengals’ DC job is the only vacant coordinator position remaining in the NFL, and a number of candidates (Dom Capers, Jack Del Rio, Dennis Allen) have bowed out of the running to become a top aide to head coach Zac Taylor. Other coaches who have been linked to the job include Saints linebackers coach Mike Nolan, former Falcons defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel, Texas A&M DC Mike Elko, Florida DC Todd Grantham, and Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn.
Bengals To Hire Jemal Singleton As RBs Coach
- The Bengals will hire Jemal Singleton as their running backs coach, per Jeremy Rauch of Fox 19 (via Twitter). Singleton previously served in the same capacity with the Colts from 2016-17 and with the Raiders in 2018.
Bengals Cast Wide Net In DC Search
The Bengals are casting a wide net in their search for a defensive coordinator and other defensive staffers, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The club is expected to request (or has requested) interviews with former Falcons defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel, Texas A&M DC Mike Elko, Florida DC Todd Grantham, and Saints defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn.
The Bengals made an offer to veteran coach Dom Capers this week, but he turned them down and is now believed to be Miami-bound. Capers, 68, would have given the Bengals a Rams replica of sorts as he would have supported 33-year-old head coach Zac Taylor. The Bengals also flirted with former Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, an indication they would prefer a veteran counterweight to Taylor.
Outside of Grantham, however, the coaches they’re now considering are on the younger side of 50. That could indicate a change in philosophy for Cincinnati. Or, it could be a case of the old adage – beggars can’t be choosers.
As previously reported, the Bengals also requested an interview with Rams DB coach Aubrey Pleasant.
Dom Capers Declines Bengals DC Job
Dom Capers has turned down the chance to become the Bengals’ defensive coordinator under new head coach Zac Taylor, according to Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Capers’ likeliest destination is now the Dolphins, where he’d serve as a senior defensive assistant, while the Jaguars are also a possible landing spot, per Marvez.
At age 68, Capers is 33 years old than Taylor, and like the other defensive coordinator candidates linked to the Bengals’ DC job, he’d bring a wealth of experience. Not only has Capers served as a defensive coordinator for multiple clubs, but he’s been a head coach at two stops (Panthers, Texans), meaning he could presumably offer counsel to Taylor as he enters his first head coaching job.
Capers was one of six coaches who have been tied to the Bengals. Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen received an extension from New Orleans, while former Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio is no longer considering the job. Ex-Bears head coach John Fox and Saints linebackers coach Mike Nolan have been mentioned as candidates, while Cincinnati earlier tonight requested an interview with Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant.
Capers was thought to be a candidate for the Cardinals defensive coordinator job under Kliff Kingsbury, but that position ultimately went to former Broncos head coach Vance Joseph. If he joins Miami, Capers would advise a first-time head coach in Brian Flores and a rookie defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham. In Jacksonville, Capers would join a relatively established staff lead by head coach Doug Marrone and DC Todd Wash.
Bengals Notes: Taylor, Turner, Casey, Martin
New Bengals head coach Zac Taylor will call his own offensive plays, as he told reporters at his introductory press conference on Tuesday (Twitter link via Richard Skinner of WKRC-TV). Taylor was hired on the strength of his offensive acumen, so it’s no surprise that he’ll direct Cincinnati’s offense, leaving new offensive coordinator Brian Callahan to serve in a game-planning role. Taylor, for what it’s worth, doesn’t boast much play-calling experience: he led the Dolphins’ offense for a half-season in 2015, and coordinated the University of Cincinnati’s offense the following year. Under former coordinator Bill Lazor, the Bengals’ offense ranked 17th in scoring, 19th in DVOA, and 26th in yardage in 2018.
Here’s more from the Queen City:
- Taylor will hire Texas A&M offensive line coach Jim Turner for the same role, reports Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Turner has worked with Taylor at three different stops, so there’s obvious familiarity between the two. He’d be replacing Frank Pollack, with whom the Bengals parted ways despite his excellent efforts in 2018. Turner, notably, was Miami’s offensive line coach during the Jonathan Martin/Richie Incognito bullying scandal, and was eventually fired in 2014 after an independent report indicated he participated in harassment of players. He was also suspended by Texas A&M in 2016 after using sexually-charged presentation slides during a women’s football clinic.
- Former Texans tight end and current University of Houston tight ends coach James Casey will join the Bengals in the same role, while Ben Martin — who had recently been hired as an assistant offensive line coach at Brown — will take over as Cincinnati’s assistant OL coach, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Casey is only 34 years old, and was still playing as recently as 2015. He joined Houston as an offensive assistant in 2016 and became tight ends coach the following year. Martin, meanwhile, worked at Texas A&M with Taylor.
- Among the Bengals coaches who are expected to be retained under Taylor are Alex Van Pelt (quarterbacks), Dan Pitcher (assistant quarterbacks), Bob Bicknell (wide receivers), Robert Livingston (secondary), Daronte Jones (secondary), and Brayden Coombs (assistant secondary), per Dehner. Coombs, notably, was thought to be a candidate for the Packers’ special teams coordinator position, but he’ll instead remain in Cincinnati.
Bengals Request Interview With Rams CBs Coach Aubrey Pleasant
The Bengals have requested permission to interview Rams cornerbacks coach Aubrey Pleasant for their defensive coordinator vacancy, according to Mike Jones of USA Today (Twitter link). Pleasant worked with new Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor in Los Angeles from 2017-18.
Pleasant is the first candidate linked to the Bengals’ DC job to not come with previous head coaching experience. Saints linebackers coach Mike Nolan is the latest veteran coach tied to Cincinnati, while the Bengals have also expressed varying levels of interest in Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, former Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio, and former Bears head coach John Fox. Allen has since received an extension from New Orleans, while Del Rio has bowed out of the running.
Pleasant, then, would give the Bengals a different vibe on the defensive side of the ball, and would entail Cincinnati turning over both its offense and defense to 30-somethings. A former collegiate coach at Michigan, Pleasant worked for the Browns and Redskins before joining the Rams in 2017.
Working under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, Pleasant helped lead the Rams to top-10 finishes in defensive passing DVOA in both 2017 and 2018. Two of Pleasant’s cornerbacks — Nickell Robey-Coleman and Aqib Talib — ranked among Pro Football Focus‘ top-20 CBs.
Bengals Considering Mike Nolan For DC?
The Bengals and new head coach Zac Taylor have “kicked the tires” on hiring Saints linebackers coach Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com.
Cincinnati previously expressed interest in hiring Nolan’s boss, Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, but New Orleans quickly locked up the latter to a new three-year contract. As indicated in PFR’s Coordinator Tracker, the Bengals also spoke with former Raiders coach Jack Del Rio (but decided the fit was not correct) and have been linked to ex-NFL head coach John Fox.
All three of those coaches offer prior head coaching experience, and Nolan would as well. In addition to working as a defensive coordinator for seven NFL clubs, Nolan also served as the 49ers’ head coach from 2005-08. Taylor, a first-time head coach at the age of 35, may feel the need to bring in a seasoned coach on the defensive side of the ball, perhaps emulating the setup employed by his former Rams club. When Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay was first hired at age-31, one of his first moves was to add veteran DC Wade Phillips to his staff.
Nolan, for his part, has historically preferred to run 3-4 schemes (although he’s worked in a 4-3 defense for the past two years in New Orleans). The Bengals used a 4-3 look for the duration of Marvin Lewis‘ time with the club, and there’s been no indication Cincinnati will move in a 3-4 direction. Given the prevalence of nickel and dime packages, the different fronts mean less than they once did.
The Bengals’ defense was a train wreck in 2018: the unit allowed 6,618 yards, the most yardage given up by a defense since the 2015 Giants. Lewis fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin at midseason and took on defensive play-calling duties, but Cincinnati’s defense arguably declined following Austin’s dismissal. The Bengals finished 27th in defensive DVOA, Football Outsiders‘ efficiency metric, but ranked 31st in weighted DVOA, which puts greater emphasis on more recent games.