As the Cincinnati Bengals continue their search for a new defensive coordinator, they attempted to poach a coach from Columbus.
According to a report by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, the Bengals sought an interview with new Ohio State co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Jeff Hafley. Hafley, however, has no plans to leave Ohio State after being hired by Ryan Day just last month.
The #Bengals wanted to interview Ohio State defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley for their vacant DC job, sources tell @RapSheet. However, Im told hes not going to renege on his commitment to OSU after taking the job last month. So Cincys search continues.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 15, 2019
During his introductory press conference at Ohio State on National Signing Day, Hafley said he already had opportunities to potentially become a coordinator in the NFL, but chose to come to Ohio State instead.
"I had opportunities to go be some type of coordinator in the NFL this past year," Hafley said. "I came back here because this is a special place, and I mean that, not just because I'm sitting here. You get a chance to coordinate at a place where you can win a lot of games. That's important.
"But there's more to it than that," Hafley continued. "You get to coordinate where you can win a lot of games with the right type of people, and that's the culture here. That's where it's different."
Before joining Ohio State's coaching staff in January, Hafley spent the past seven years coaching in the NFL as a secondary coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers.
