Philadelphia Eagles coaching candidate profile: Hue Jackson, Bengals offensive coordinator

Bleeding Green Nation is profiling all the potential candidates for the Eagles head coaching position in 2016.

The Eagles fired Chip Kelly earlier this week, which means the team will have a new head coach in 2016. I already listed 10 possibilities for Philadelphia, but now it's time to take a more in-depth look at the candidates.

We're kicking off the series with Cincinnati Bengals coodinator Hue Jackson. He hasn't officially been linked to the Eagles (yet), but he already seems to be popular name among the fans.

Hue Jackson

Summary

The Bengals' offensive coordinator seems to be one of the most popular options available. The 50-year-old Jackson has done a nice job with Andy Dalton and Cincinnati's offense. In 2015, the Bengals rank fourth in points scored per game and 13th in yards per game. Jackson has head coaching experience. He led the Oakland Raiders to an 8-8 record in 2011 before getting fired after his first year on the job. Jackson got a rough deal in Oakland. His quarterback at the time, Jason Campbell, got hurt and the franchise made a panic trade for Carson Palmer. Legendary franchise owner and general manager Al Davis died during the 2011 season. New Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie opted to remove Jackson and make his own coaching hire. Jackson is one of the most intriguing options for the Eagles, in my view.

Resume

1987 - Pacific (graduate assistant)
1988 - Pacific (wide receivers/ special teams)
1989 - Pacific (running backs/ special teams)
1990–1991 - Cal State Fullerton (running backs/ special teams)
1991–1992 - London Monarchs WLAF (running backs/ wide receivers/ special teams)
1992–1994 - Arizona State (running backs)
1995 - Arizona State (quarterbacks)
1996 - California (offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks)
1997 - USC (off. coord./ quarterbacks)
1998–1999 - USC (off. coord./ running backs)
2000 - USC (off. coord./ quarterbacks)
2001–2002 - Washington Redskins (running backs)
2003 - Washington Redskins (off. coord.)
2004–2006 - Cincinnati Bengals (wide receivers)
2007 - Atlanta Falcons (off. coord.)
2008–2009 - Baltimore Ravens (quarterbacks)
2010 - Oakland Raiders (off. coord.)
2011 - Oakland Raiders (head coach)
2012 - Cincinnati Bengals (secondary/ asst. special teams)
2013 - Cincinnati Bengals (running backs)
2014–present - Cincinnati Bengals (off. coord.)

Why he could work

As you can see from the list above, Jackson has plenty of coaching experience. He's been in the NFL for 14 years.

Jackson went 8-8 with the Raiders in his sole season as a head coach. They were also 8-8 with him as an offensive coordinator in 2010. That might not seem so impressive, but consider the Raiders had a losing record every season after 2002 up until Jackson arrived. Oakland has had a losing record every season since he was fired, too.

Jackson is obviously an offensive guy, which has seemingly been attractive to Jeffrey Lurie. Here's a look at how Jackson's offenses have ranked:

What's especially impressive about the Oakland years is that he didn't have a ton of talent to work with. Jason Campbell was his quarterback before he got hurt and the franchise traded for Carson Palmer. Darren McFadden and Michael Bush were his leading rushers. Zach Miller, a tight end, and Darius Heyward-Bey were his leading receivers.

Jackson has had the opportunity to work with more talent in his return to Cincinnati. Bengals franchise quarterback A.J. Dalton has played well in Jackson's offense. A.J. Green is obviously a top tier receiver. In 2014, rookie running back Jeremy Hill and second-year back rusher Giovani Bernard contributed to 2,147 total rushing yards. That was the most by a Cincinnati offense in 15 years.

Philadelphia's offense was awesome in 2013, which was Kelly's first year on the job, but it stagnated since then. It was sneakily bad in 2014 before being flat out bad in 2015. The Eagles led the NFL in turnovers over the past two years. An offensive mind like Jackson could be what this team needs.

Why he may not be the guy

Jackson's demise in Oakland was a unique situation. He lost a big advocate when team owner Al Davis passed away. The son of Al Davis, Mark Davis, didn't seem to be as big of a fan of Jackson. The Raiders hired Reggie McKenzie to be their new general manager and Jackson found himself replaced by Dennis Allen.

Part of Jackson's downfall might have been his own fault. As noted by a Raiders writer, he was essentially the unofficial acting general manager after Davis died. He made desperate trades for Carson Palmer and Seahawks bust Aaron Curry. After seeing how Kelly failed as a general manager in Philadelphia, the Eagles don't need another power hungry coach in the fold.

Final thoughts

It's hard not to be impressed with Jackson's work with Andy Dalton. The Bengals coordinator is even getting good mileage out of his previously untested backup, AJ McCarron. Jackson is ready for another shot as a head coach. Since his Oakland days, his offenses have never been bad.

He always seems to have good relationships with his players, which is something Kelly struggled with at times in Philadelphia.

"If there is an NFL team out there that’s not looking at Hue Jackson in their top three [candidates], they are crazy," said Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth, via Cincinnati.com.

Jackson is easily one of the most intriguing options available.