To say that the first two seasons of the Zac Taylor era with the Cincinnati Bengals did not go swimmingly would be an understatement. Despite NFL rumors to the contrary, there’s now a chance that the young head coach could be out of a job.
Cincinnati closed up shop on a 4-11-1 season with an ugly 38-3 loss to the Baltimore Ravens during NFL Week 17. A season that started out with the Bengals being competitive concluded with rookie No. 1 pick Joe Burrow suffering a torn ACL and Taylor having won just six of his 32 games.
We now have some more NFL rumors on the Zac Taylor front. It’s not as clear-cut as some might have previously led us to believe in Cincinnati.
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NFL rumors: Zac Taylor could be out as Bengals’ head coach after two seasons
“In Cincinnati, a definite ‘we’ll see’ vibe has emerged this weekend. Although NFL Media has reported that Zac Taylor is expected to return, there’s a rumor making that rounds that Taylor could be out,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported.
Losing by 35 points to conclude another last-place season won’t sit will with the Bengals’ brass. However, it must also be noted that this organization is notoriously cheap when it comes to head coaches. Will Cincinnati even think about firing Taylor with multiple years remaining on his contract? It’s an open question.
NFL rumors have concluded that Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady is a hot head coach candidate this cycle. He worked with Burrow during the quarterback’s record-breaking Heisman performance with the LSU tigers during the 2019 season. Per Florio, the Bengals might opt to fire Taylor if they believe Brady will be hired elsewhere.
As for Taylor, winning six games in his first two seasons is not a great look. That’s especially true after the Bengals hired him ahead of the 2019 season with very little play-calling experience (interim offensive coordinator with Dolphins back in 2015).
There’s a chance that the Bengals simply believe Taylor is in over his head. If so, it makes no real sense to delay the inevitable. A lot of this will depend on whether Cincinnati’s brass believes the he is the right man to get the most out of Burrow after an excellent rookie season for the No. 1 pick.
Related: If you’re a fan of the Bengals, check out #SeizeTheDEY rumors, rankings, and news here.
There’s going to be a ton of NFL rumors relating to head coach openings around the league with “Black Monday” coming calling here in the news few hours. Whether Taylor will be among those let go remains to be seen.
What we do know is that the Bengals are Joe Burrow’s team. They will make sure to do everything possible to help him turn into an elite signal caller. If that means firing Zac Taylor, so be it.