A couple more horses have filled in the NFL's coaching carousel. Jay Gruden leaves his job as Cincinnati's offensive coordinator to take over as Washington's new head coach.
The Bengals wasted no time replacing Gruden, elevating running backs coach Hue Jackson to take over as OC. Jackson returns to a position he's held with three other teams in his career -- Washington (2003), Atlanta (2007) and Oakland (2010).
From a fantasy perspective, the Gruden hire places a cloud around Robert Griffin III. The young quarterback will be looking to rebound from a subpar 2013 season, but is now working with a coach who has a mixed track record with his most recent QB. Andy Dalton has spent his entire three-year career in Gruden's offense, with inconsistent results. While Dalton's yards and touchdowns have increased in each season, so has his interception total.
Griffin is arguably a more talented signal-caller and his running ability adds a dimension to Washington's offense that Dalton doesn't possess. But for a young QB who struggled with his decision-making throwing the football at times last season, it's a worrisome hire.
It's also little worrisome if you're Alfred Morris. In his first two seasons in the NFL he's yet to establish himself as a pass-catching back, recording just 20 receptions. Meanwhile, Roy Helu had 31 catches in 2013 alone. If the split between BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Gio Bernard is any indication, Morris could see his snaps cut into next season. Keep in mind that while Helu has been in the NFL one season longer, both he and Morris are the same age. Not to mention that the former boasts a respectable 4.3 yards per carry average.
Jackson's promotion in Cincinnati is good news for the aforementioned Bernard. The new Bengals OC is known for being a man who likes to establish the run. During his 2010 season as the offensive coordinator for the Raiders, the team finished the season with more rushing attempts (504) than passing attempts (491). It wouldn't be surprising to see a heavy dose of Bernard in both the ground and air attacks.
And A.J. Green? No need to worry about him? There's no reason to think Jackson will ignore such a huge weapon on the perimeter. However, there's a good chance Cincy's new offense could put a tighter leash on Dalton. It's interesting to note that no QB in a Hue Jackson offense has thrown more than 13 touchdown passes in a season. Then again, the most noteworthy quarterback he's had has been Jason Campbell. So there's that.
Marcas Grant is a fantasy editor for NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter.
