Bengals hire Teryl Austin as new DC

The Cincinnati Bengals have hired Teryl Austin as their defensive coordinator, the team confirmed Monday.

Austin previously served as the Detroit Lions' DC from 2014-2017.

The coordinator became available after the dismissal of Jim Caldwell. He interviewed for the Lions' head coaching vacancy, but it appears he wasn't in serious contention for the job.

Austin was in demand elsewhere, however, as Jon Gruden made a push to hire him as the Oakland Raiders' assistant head coach/defensive backs coach, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Clearly, Gruden wasn't able to convince Austin to turn down the chance to continue as a coordinator.

Austin replaces Paul Guenther, who left Cincinnati to join Gruden in Oakland as his defensive coordinator.