An updated look at Zac Taylor’s coaching staff

We’re just a week away from the NFL Scouting Combine and the Cincinnati Bengals’ coaching staff is looking more and more complete. Zac Taylor was officially announced as the 10th head coach in franchise history, and his assistants are starting to come into the fold.

There will be seven coaches returning for the 2019 season under Taylor’s leadership, but there remains a handful of openings on the staff. Here’s what Cincinnati’s coaching staff looks like as of now:

Head Coach: Zac Taylor

The man of the hour himself, Taylor comes fresh off the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams as one of their top offensive assistants of the past two seasons. He was their quarterbacks coach in 2018.

Offensive Coordinator: Brian Callahan

A quarterbacks coach of the past four seasons with three different teams, Callahan has been with the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and most recently with the Oakland Raiders. A year younger than Taylor, he will now become a first-time coordinator.

Defensive Coordinator: Lou Anarumo

Anarumo comes to Cincinnati with 30 years of coaching experience, primarily as a defensive backs coach. From 2012-2015, Anarumo coached with Taylor for the Miami Dolphins and coached with the Bengals’ current cornerbacks coach Daronte Jones from 2016-2017. Anarumo spent last season with the New York Giants as their defensive backs coach.

Special Teams Coordinator: Darrin Simmons

Simmons was one of the original assistants in Marvin Lewis’ first staff and now is the longest-tenured coach for Cincinnati. 2019 will be his seventh as the special teams coordinator.

Quarterbacks Coach: Alex Van Pelt

After working with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers for four years, Van Pelt was hired by the Bengals last offseason to become Andy Dalton’s third quarterbacks coach of his career. He was allowed to stay after Lewis’ firing.

Running Back Coach: Jemal Singleton

The last offensive position coach Taylor and the Bengals hired, Singleton enters his fourth year in the NFL coaching ranks with his third team. He previously coached the Indianapolis Colts’ running backs for two years and worked with Brian Callahan and the Raiders last season.

Wide Receivers Coach: Bob Bicknell

Bicknell was also brought in last offseason with Van Pelt and was chosen to keep his job for 2019. This will be his 12th year coaching in the NFL and second since he spent a year at Baylor University under the same position.

Tight Ends Coach: James Casey

One of Taylor’s first official hires, Casey was a former professional tight end who played mainly with the Houston Texans. After retiring in 2016, Casey joined the University of Houston coaching staff as an offensive analyst. He was promoted to tight ends coach in 2017 and also became the special teams coordinator in 2018. This will be his first year coaching in the NFL.

Offensive Line Coach: Jim Turner

Instead of Bill Callahan, the Bengals hired another one of Taylor’s known associates from the past. Turner was on the same Texas A&M and Miami Dolphins staff as Taylor was for the first six years of Taylor’s coaching career. This will be the first time Turner will coach in the NFL since he was fired from Miami following the Johnathan Martin-Richie Incognito scandal.

Defensive Line Coach: Nick Eason

The first assistant coach hired on the defensive side of the ball following the Anarumo hiring was Eason. After a nine-year playing career with the Browns, Steelers and Cardinals, Eason has coached in the NFL for five years before he was the defensive line coach for Austin Peay in 2018.

Cornerbacks Coach: Daronte Jones

Similar to Van Pelt and Bicknell, 2019 will be Jones’ second season with the Bengals. Jones spent his first two seasons in the league with Anarumo and the Dolphins as their assistant defensive backs coach.

Safeties Coach: Robert Livingston

Splitting the secondary with Jones for the second year in a row will be Livingston, who is entering his fourth year with that title. Livingston has been with Cincinnati since 2012, when he started as a scout for three years before working his way up to a coach in the secondary.

Strength and Conditioning Coach: Joey Boese

Boese replaces one of the two coaches who were here for as long as Lewis was in Chip Morton. Taylor and Boese were on the same coaching staff at Texas A&M, with Boese as the assistant strength and conditioning coach. He has been the head strength and conditioning coach since 2016.

Assistant (QBs): Dan Pitcher

Assisting Van Pelt with the quarterbacks will be Pitcher. This will be his fourth year with the team, and second with his focus on the quarterbacks.

Assistant (OL): Ben Martin

Martin was officially hired yesterday along with Casey as the assistant offensive line coach. For the last three years, Martin was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Union College after previously working with Taylor as an offensive assistant with the Dolphins back in 2014 an 2015.

Assistant (ST): Brayden Coombs

There were rumors about Coombs potentially leaving Cincinnati for Green Bay and a promotion to special teams coordinator, but Coombs will return for his seventh as Simmons’ assistant and have a hand in offensive quality control. This will be his eighth year with the Bengals.

Director of Coaching Operations: Doug Rosfeld

How much power does Taylor have? Well, he just created a new position on his coaching staff and hired another former colleague to fill it. Rosfeld was with the University of Cincinnati when Taylor was the offensive coordinator and was a local high school football coach last season. It’s still unclear just what Rosfeld’s job description will be.

Remaining vacancies (2018 coach) (rumored replacements)

• Linebackers Coach (Jim Haslett)
• Assistant Defensive Line Coach (Matt Raich)
• Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach (Jeff Friday)