Hue Jackson interviews with Rams

Former Bengals wide receivers coach Hue Jackson has interviewed for the vacant St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator job. He and Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese are the only two candidates to have interviewed with head coach Scott Linehan.

UPDATED: 6:40 p.m.

By Mark Curnutte
mcurnutte@enquirer.com
The Bengals are expected to announce their linebackers coach Friday, and attention focuses on a disposed Miami Dolphins defensive coach.

Meanwhile, the Bengals might have an opening on their offensive staff soon, too. Bengals quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese is one of two candidates to interview with St. Louis head coach Scott Linehan for the Rams vacant offensive coordinator job.

The other candidate also has Bengals ties. Former Cincinnati wide receivers coach Hue Jackson, who spent the ill-fated 2007 season as Atlanta’s offensive coordinator, is the other applicant interviewed by Linehan.

If Zampese were to get the job in St. Louis, where he was an assistant coach from 2000-02, the Bengals might shift current receivers coach Mike Sheppard to handle quarterbacks. And if Jackson weren’t to land a coordinator’s job in St. Louis or Washington – where he was coordinator in 2003 – he might be interested in returning to the Bengals. His goal is to remain as an NFL play-caller.

Besides St. Louis and Washington, offensive coordinator jobs are open in Atlanta and Baltimore. The Redskins, Falcons and Ravens still need to hire head coaches. Tennessee's offensive coordinator job was filled Thursday when Broncos assistant head coach/offense Mike Heimerdinger returned to the job he held with the Titans from 2000-04 under head coach Jeff Fisher.

In Miami, which is starting to look like Dallas East, new head coach Tony Sparano – most recently Cowboys assistant head coach -- is expected to bring Cowboys linebackers coach Paul Pasqualoni with him.

Former Dolphins linebackers coach George Edwards is available, and he has direct ties to both Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Edwards was assistant defensive coordinator/linebackers coach under coordinator Lewis in Washington in 2002 and replaced Lewis when he was hired as Bengals head coach in 2003. Edwards also was Dallas linebackers coach from 1998-01, those final two seasons coinciding with Zimmer’s first two seasons as Cowboys defensive coordinator.