Athletic article on the search for a new O-line coach

[Bengals1]

Bengals O-line coach options, and why there won’t be a Callahan cadre in 2021


By Jay Morrison 1/7/21

One of the primary objectives in Week 1 of the offseason is for Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and his coordinators, all of whom will return in 2021, to begin lining up interviews with candidates to replace the seven assistants who will not be back.

That list includes Jim Turner (offensive line), Bob Bicknell (wide receivers), Jemal Singleton (running backs), Nick Eason (defensive line) and Gerald Chatman (defensive line assistant).

Filling the offensive line job is the top priority, with interviews beginning this week at Paul Brown Stadium.

There is a clear and obvious choice to fill the opening, but there also are clear and obvious reasons Browns offensive line coach Bill Callahan isn’t going to be the guy.

Yes, Callahan would love to coach with his son, Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, and vice versa. And yes, Taylor would love to reunite with his mentor, the man who coached him at Nebraska.

But the timing won’t allow it.

Callahan has multiple years remaining on his contract with the Browns, which means they would have to give the Bengals permission to interview him. And that’s not happening. Not when Callahan was such an instrumental part in leading the Browns to the playoffs for the first time in 18 seasons with a run game that ranked third in the league.

And while teams can’t block interviews for assistants interviewing for higher-level jobs, the Bengals would not be able to circumvent the league’s anti-tampering rules simply by creating an artificial title and making the Callahans co-offensive coordinators.

Even if the Bengals didn’t need permission from a division rival unlikely to grant it, they wouldn’t be able to interview Bill Callahan this week as assistants on teams playing in the wild-card round are off-limits. Plus, he likely is going to miss his second consecutive game after testing positive for COVID-19.

But though Bill Callahan won’t be coming to Cincinnati in person, his presence could be felt here nonetheless. He’s coached 26 seasons in the NFL and four at Nebraska, and there are many offensive line coaches who have worked with him during that time, a handful of whom are expected to interview with the Bengals this week or next.

Connections always play a role when deciding whom to interview and hire, but the biggest things the Bengals will be looking for in this search will be NFL experience and proven success as opposed to going after one of the higher-paid, more successful O-line coaches at the college level.

Taylor, and the entire staff for that matter, will be on a scorching hot seat in Year 3. They don’t have the luxury of bringing someone along and letting them learn the ropes. The complexity of the defenses in the NFL with the blitz packages and fronts are vastly different from college. Plus, they already have a younger guy learning the ropes in 37-year-older assistant Ben Martin, who came in with Turner and is staying on for 2021.

And it’s not just the schemes, it’s about knowing the league and knowing how to develop NFL linemen and make them better fast.

Whomever the Bengals hire is going to be the driving force in the run game, which is another reason why finding someone with NFL experience is going to be so important. And why the search for the new running backs coach won’t begin until after the line coach has been hired.

Let’s look at some of the leading candidates to be the next offensive line coach:

Frank Pollack
Pollack, 53, is a Bill Callahan disciple, having served as his assistant line coach in Dallas from 2013-14 before taking over in 2015 when Bill took the job in Washington.

After three seasons with the Cowboys, Pollack was the man the Bengals tapped in 2018 to replace Paul Alexander, who had been the team’s offensive line coach for 25 seasons, the previous few of which also included the title of assistant head coach. That means he has experience working with Bengals offensive linemen Trey Hopkins, Billy Price, Bobby Hart and Alex Redmond, although the latter two are not expected to be a part of the 2021 roster.


Frank Pollack served as the Bengals offensive line coach before Zac Taylor’s arrival. (Fred Kfoury III / Icon Sportswire via Associated Press)
There were some in the Bengals front office who wanted to keep Pollack after parting ways with Marvin Lewis following the 2018 season. But Taylor, as is the case with many head coaches, wanted his guy at such an important position, and picked Turner instead to help implement his scheme.

Pollack spent the last two seasons with the Jets after leaving Cincinnati. The Jets are one of six teams looking for a new head coach, and Pollack should be the No. 1 choice from that group of what likely will be displaced assistants.

But the issue with Pollack is that guys with a lot of experience also have a lot of options, and he, and several others on this list, will be interviewing with multiple teams.

Hank Fraley
A rising coach in the league, the 43-year-old Fraley has six years of experience on NFL staffs after a 10-year playing career with the Steelers, Eagles, Browns and Rams.

And where the players are concerned, the respect factor for assistant coaches who played in the league is at its highest on the offensive and defensive lines. Fraley’s playing experience would make him a quality hire with the number of young linemen on the roster and more possibly on the way via the draft.

After coaching two seasons in college at San Diego and San Jose State, Fraley has spent six of the last seven seasons coaching in the NFL with a one-year break in 2017 to coach the UCLA offensive line. He was promoted from assistant to Lions offensive line coach in 2020, but the firing of Matt Patricia and unlikely retention of interim coach Darrell Bevell have him fielding calls.

The Lions, despite their poor record, ranked 14th in the league in ESPN’s Run Block Win Rate metric last year.


Hank Fraley’s experience as a player in the NFL could be appealing to current players. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
Chris Morgan
The offensive line coach for the Falcons the last six seasons, Morgan worked his way up from the high school level to a brief two-year stint at the University of Idaho before breaking into the NFL with the Raiders in 2009.

Well respected in league circles, Morgan, 44, is a Tom Cable disciple, working under him with the Raiders and rejoining him in Seattle after a stint as an assistant in Washington.

Morgan left his assistant job in Seattle in 2015 to follow Dan Quinn to Atlanta, where he has been the offensive line coach since, running the wide-zone scheme that the Bengals found some success with later in the season with Giovani Bernard and Samaje Perine.

Phil Rauscher
Rauscher, a college teammate of Brian Callahan’s at UCLA, is under contract as the assistant offensive line coach with the Vikings, so the Bengals would need permission to interview him. And with Gary Kubiak retiring and offensive line coach Rick Dennison a candidate to replace him, Rauscher could be in line to be the Vikings offensive line coach in 2021.

He doesn’t fit the mold of an experienced NFL coach, but the 35-year-old Rauscher has a bright future as well as a long history with the Callahans. He was Bill’s assistant in Washington from 2017-19 before being promoted to offensive line coach when Bill became the interim head coach after the midseason firing of Jay Gruden.

Rauscher worked alongside Brian Callahan as they both got their starts as grad assistants at UCLA. His first NFL job was with Denver in 2015, working alongside Brian again as an offensive assistant as the Broncos won the Super Bowl.

Greg Austin
The biggest wild card on the list, Austin is the offensive line coach at the University of Nebraska and a former teammate of Taylor’s.

The 2020 season was his third with the Cornhuskers and first after receiving the promotion to run-game coordinator.

Austin, 37, also has three years of NFL experience as an assistant offensive line coach with the Eagles from 2013-15.

George Warhop
Warhop, a University of Cincinnati graduate, was the Jaguars offensive line coach the last two years and has been working in the NFL since 1996.

The 59-year-old’s previous stops include the Rams — where he was part of the drafting and developing of Hall of Fame tackle Orlando Pace — Cardinals (1998-2002), Cowboys (2003-04), 49ers (2005-08), Browns (2009-13) and Buccaneers (2014-18).

Mike Sherman
The longest of long shots, Sherman gave Taylor his start in coaching at Texas A&M and ended up becoming his father-in-law when Taylor met and married Sherman’s daughter Sarah.

Sherman was an offensive line coach before becoming head coach of the Packers from 2000-05 and later A&M (2008-11). He’s been retired since leading the Montreal Alouettes to a runner-up finish in the CFL in 2018.

Whether he would have any interest in coming out of retirement at 66, or whether Taylor would have any interest in having his father-in-law on staff is unknown. But it’s an intriguing option

[Bengals1]

BENGALS TALK 🗣 (@BengalsTalk)
Lions OL Coach Hank Fraley to interview with Bengals. Fraley was one of the #Lions’ best positional coaches in 2020, as center Frank Ragnow made the Pro Bowl, left tackle Taylor Decker had one of his best years yet, and rookie guard Jonah Jackson made a solid #NFL debut.

[Mag]

Fraley could be interesting. I got the following off Twitter:
PFF has his unit ranked 9th in pass blocking and 16th in run blocking. Outside his LT and C, the rest of the OL consisted of a 3rd round rookie, a 7th round journey man, and a 5th round 3rd year vet in his first year starting. That's not half bad.

I like that he is a former NFL center who had a long career. Perhaps he may get something out of Price, or develop a potential replacement for Hopkins.

[Jmble]

I'm not going to pretend like I know who is a good Offensive Line coach vs who isn't a good offensive line coach, but I like everything I hear about him. I'll take him.

[Bengals1]

Also Fraley played for both the Steelers and Browns during his career so he knows the AFC North.

[Mag]

Asked someone in Detroit about OL coach Hank Fraley, “guys like playing for him - makes players better.” (he is interviewing in Cincinnati this week)

- Lindsey Patterson Twitter.
https://twitter.com/LndsPatterson/statu ... 24544?s=19

[MeatHeadbengal]

I haven't heard of these guys but I do know they have to be better then the guy we had.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around why an O-line coach would set a TE to pass pro against a DE! Chip sure, help sure, but solo??? WTFiretruck man!!

[Mag]

WTFiretruck man!!

Nice one! Im stealing that.

[MeatHeadbengal]

WTFiretruck man!!

Nice one! Im stealing that.

About to have a baby girl so policing my language.

[stripesincarolina]

WTFiretruck man!!

Nice one! Im stealing that.

About to have a baby girl so policing my language.

Off topic, but for some reason I thought you were hot on the heels of me and B1 age-wise, Meat. How old are you? And congrats on the upcoming addition to the Bengals family! (don't let her on here)