I don't think anyone would confuse the Cincinnati Bengals for being elite at anything.

They went an NFL-worst 2-14 this past season, they have a roster that is fairly bereft of talent and the franchise has not won a playoff game since the 1990-91 campaign.

However, head coach Zac Taylor thinks that the Bengals are vastly improving when it comes to evaluating talent:

“We're so far ahead, we're light years ahead of evaluating these guys in the draft and free agency,” Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' team website. “We have a better understanding of how our personnel fits our defense and our schemes.”

Uh, Joe Lacob, is that you?

No, but to be fair, we have to understand Taylor's statement in context.

Taylor was referring to the difference between where Cincinnati is this year as opposed to where it was last offseason when Taylor first arrived on the scene as head coach.

So no; he was not saying that the Bengals are “light years ahead” of the rest of the league like a certain Golden State Warriors owner that I just mentioned.

And it's only right to give Taylor a chance.

Sure, his first season was an abject disaster, as there was a time when 0-16 looked genuinely possible (if not probable) for Cincinnati, but he also inherited a rather horrific situation.

The general consensus is that the Bengals will be taking LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick, which means the end for Andy Dalton and could represent the dawn of a new, more successful era in Cincy.