Cincinnati Bengals: Hiring Hue Jackson inexplicable

Just two weeks after Cleveland fired him, Hue Jackson is back, but with the Cincinnati Bengals. This hire may set them back years in the AFC North.

Hue Jackson is the worst head coach in the history of the NFL. There is no debate, there are no questions to be asked. No one is worse than Hue Jackson, as he nearly dug the Cleveland Browns into a hole too deep, almost ruining rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield. So, of course, it was going to be a little while before Jackson got another job.

Or at least that’s what most football fans thought. The Cincinnati Bengals apparently thought quite differently, as they brought Jackson back into the fold that he left in the 2015-16 offseason. Jackson was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator from 2014-15, and brought Andy Dalton his most successful seasons of his career. Now, he will serve at Cincinnati’s “Special Assistant to the Head Coach.”

This hire is inexplicable, especially if the Bengals actually think Hue Jackson is a succession plan for Marvin Lewis at head coach. Everywhere Jackson has been as a head coach has turned into utter failure. He left the Oakland Raiders with no draft picks, a broken Carson Palmer, and very little cap space. He left Cleveland with an 0-16 season, three wins in three years, and nearly ruined Baker Mayfield.

Jackson will meet the Browns on Nov. 25 as part of Week 12, so it’s time for both fanbases to save the date. The Browns will be coming off the bye week, and if Jackson holds back the Browns as much as he did when he was with the team, the Bengals have this contest in the bag.

All things considered, this hire is indefensible and inexplicable for the Cincinnati Bengals. If they choose to move Jackson back to offensive coordinator after the season, it might be just crazy enough to work. But if Mike Brown and the Bengals brass really think that Jackson could be their next head coach, they are out of their minds.