When the Rams hired Sean McVay as their head coach, they teamed him with a veteran defensive coordinator who had head coaching experience in Wade Phillips.
The Bengals are expected to hire Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as their head coach and it appears they are considering a similar arrangement when it comes to their top defensive coach. According to multiple reports, Jack Del Rio is a leading candidate for the job.
Del Rio was 25-23 as Raiders head coach before being ousted in favor of Jon Gruden after the 2017 season and he went 68-71 in eight-plus seasons as the head man in Jacksonville. He also served as the Broncos defensive coordinator from 2012-2014 and his successor in that post was Phillips.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Bengals may interview Raiders quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan for their offensive coordinator opening. Callahan joined the Raiders in 2018, so there was no overlap with Del Rio in Oakland.
There’s also been a report that they are interested in having Brian’s father Bill, who coached Taylor at the University of Nebraska, on the staff. Bill Callahan is currently the Washington offensive line coach.