How Soon Could Cincinnati Move on from Their Head Coach?
The Cincinnati Bengals lost their second straight game, this time on Monday Night Football to the Denver Broncos. After a loss like that, Zac Taylor's job is being called into question. In the last two weeks, the Bengals have been outscored 76-13 in the previous two games, looking like a completely different team without Joe Burrow. The Bengals appear to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, likely to finish with a top-five pick in this year's NFL Draft.
The Bengals have always been known to hold onto coaches for way too long. Marvin Lewis was in Cincinnati from 2003 to 2018, during which he won zero playoff games in his 16 seasons as the Bengals' head coach. Taylor is under contract through the 2026 season, and fans may have to deal with him for the rest of this season and the next. The Bengals have made it known that they are all-in, signing Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Mike Gesicki, and Trey Hendrickson to extensions this offseason.
The Bengals are spending $263 million this year, a significant amount for a team that is on track to win fewer than seven games this season. The problem isn't just the Bengals spending all this money with no on-field return; the problem is Zac Taylor being at the center of the horrendous offensive performances this season. Zac Taylor has had two weeks to rework the offense around Jake Browning, and it hasn't looked pretty. Higgins and Chase are visibly frustrated on the sidelines, and the offensive line has looked awful in the last games.
Getting rid of Taylor means bringing in someone new, but who would be an upgrade from the current situation? If the Bengals moved on in the middle of the season, it would likely mean that Dan Pitcher or Al Golden would be the Interim head coach, and both would likely be interviewed at the end of the season. Names circulating on social media are Jon Gruden, Marcus Freeman, and Deion Sanders. None of those names are efficient and probably would work out; however, candidates like Joe Brady, the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills, are a good option, along with Brian Flores and Steve Spagnuola, who are both defensive coordinators for the Vikings and Chiefs. The Bengals' season already feels over, even though they are just four games in, and they need to make changes if they want to sell tickets and get fans excited for the remainder of the season.
