Report: Lewis' future with Bengals in doubt, Dalton expected to return

The Marvin Lewis era in Cincinnati is once again reportedly in danger of coming to a close.

Despite the head coach signing a new two-year deal with the Bengals last offseason, the contract is actually for one season with a team option for 2019, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. That means the team, which currently sits third in the AFC North with a 5-6 record, can let Lewis go after the current campaign with no financial penalty.

It's a similar situation to last season, in which Lewis was widely thought to be done as the Bengals' head coach before two late wins helped secure his job.

Rapoport added that it's possible Lewis moves into a front-office role with the Bengals and that special assistant Hue Jackson is a candidate to take over as head coach.

While Lewis is apparently no lock to return, sources told Rapoport that Andy Dalton is expected to be back for 2019. The quarterback is on injured reserve with a thumb injury, and Cincinnati can release him with no cap hit this offseason, according to Spotrac.