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Two coaches on the hot seat could end up with, as our friends at Pardon My Take call it, a cool throne. If, that is, there’s anything cool about coaching the Bengals.

There’s talk in league circles that the Bengals are hoping for a reunion with Hue Jackson or Jay Gruden. Both served as offensive coordinators under Marvin Lewis, and both got plenty of solid performances from quarterback Andy Dalton. Either would be the next head coach of the team.

Dalton hasn’t been horrible, but he hasn’t been great, either. And the Bengals, who had a five-year run of playoff appearances, will miss out on the postseason for a second straight year.

There’s still chatter that Lewis could end up graduating to the front office in Cincinnati. Whatever he plans to do, his words and demeanor during at least one of his media availabilities this week suggested that he knows precisely what it will be. If the Bengals want Hue or Gruden to return, they may need to be ready to initiate a non-trade trade in order to get them, in the event their current teams decide to keep them.