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The Cincinnati Bengals are arguably the NFL's most disappointing team. Despite Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns, the Bengals are a miserable 4-8. Unless Cincinnati goes on a seemingly improbable 5-0 run to end the year to sneak into the playoffs, change is coming.
That means everything, outside of trading Burrow, should be on the table for the Bengals. First, the long-term future of head coach Zac Taylor will come into focus. According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, those discussions appear to be behind the scenes.
“For example, I've had multiple coaches in the league text me this week about the Bengals job, wondering if Zac Taylor is on the hot seat,” Fowler reported. “Not sure I see that given some of the goodwill Taylor has built up there and owner Mike Brown's propensity for cost control (Taylor has two more years left on his deal). But the next month will be about deciphering what's real and what's not. And perhaps Taylor will make staff changes there.”
Cincinnati reached the Super Bowl in 2021, losing to the Los Angeles Rams, and returned to the AFC title game in 2022 with Taylor at the helm, but their 4-8 record is beginning to turn up the heat on the head coach, at least within the fanbase. So, a coaching change could soon follow if things continue downward for Taylor and the Bengals.
Why the Bengals might make a change at head coach
Under Taylor, Cincinnati has consistently had to dig themselves out of an early hole in recent years. They dropped their first two games of 2022 before going 1-3 to open 2023. This season was even worse, as they were 1-4 through early October.
Outside of Burrow, the Bengals have a league-average offense and subpar defense. This is the second year in a row that the offense has struggled, and it's the fourth year that the defense has been between average and outright harmful to winning.
From the Sean McVay tree, Taylor was supposed to be on the cutting edge of motion, making schematic adjustments and creating an effective run game. Cincinnati's offense has never featured any of those and is too reliant on Burrow to make difficult throws. This franchise could do better to reach its ceiling.
How Bengals players respond to job-security rumors will also determine Taylor's future. It starts with the upcoming Monday Night Football game at the 5-7 Dallas Cowboys. That could ultimately decide whether Taylor can run it back with Cincinnati next season.
