Jay Gruden appears as the "front runner" for the Washington Redskins

Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden is the front runner for the vacant Washington Redskins job, according to the Washington Post.

One NFL source on Jay Gruden and Redskins: "I think he's their first choice." Others within league suspect same thing.

— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) January 8, 2014

Gruden arrived in Washington Tuesday night and had dinner with General Manager Bruce Allen, who had worked with Gruden when they were both in Tampa Bay.

"Gruden’s ties to Allen and others in the Redskins organization could be significant as the interview process moves forward", writes Mark Maske. "Some people connected with the league-wide hiring process now seem to consider Gruden one of the favorites to land the job and wonder if the Redskins will make a push to hire Gruden immediately during his visit."

If Gruden is hired by the Redskins, Bengals running backs coach Hue Jackson figures to be the leading in-house candidate. Jackson has been an offensive coordinator for four seasons, including as a head coach with the Oakland Raiders in 2011.

Gruden interviewed with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday and is scheduled to interview with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday.