Zac Taylor 2.0: Everything is in place for the Cincinnati Bengals to make that leap

Zac Taylor is on deck for a potentially big 2020. Can the second-year coach get it right and launch the Bengals out of the AFC North cellar?

Beginning with Zac Taylor coaching at the Senior Bowl, the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, the potential for a new quarterback, and nowhere to go but up, Cincinnati Bengals fans should be excited about the next few months. Also, it’s a possibility, a very good possibility, that this franchise might finally be turning the corner.

Welcome to Zac Taylor 2.0. Also, be very glad you’re not waiting for “what’s next” in Cleveland. After a disaster in his inaugural season, Taylor may finally have the pieces in place to remake a team that can not just compete, but climbs out of the AFC North cellar. With a smart draft likely centered around LSU quarterback Joe Burrow and picks slotted for the offensive line, the remake in Cincinnati can pick up steam quickly.

Zac Taylor 2.0 needs to be three things:
1. It needs to take a fresh and progressive approach to play calling.
2. It needs to encourage Free Agency to get younger on defense and create depth.
3. It needs to use the Senior Bowl to find a backup quarterback to push and possibly replace Ryan Finley.

As interesting and potentially good as a Burrow led Bengals team might be, Zac Taylor 2.0 needs to borrow a page from the Los Angeles Rams and make Joe Mixon the center of the Bengals offensive universe. Additionally, Taylor has to evolve the role a tight end can play with a rookie quarterback.

Lastly, Zac Taylor 2.0 needs to figure out a long term solution for a go-to wide receiver. It’s hard to see A.J. Green being “that guy” as some obvious animosity has developed in Cincinnati between the Bengals and Green. In a draft deep at the receiver position, Taylor should be able to identify a successor to Green and often injured John Ross.

Zac Taylor 2.0 has a rare opportunity to accomplish a lot in one offseason. With a coaching gig in the Senior Bowl and the first pick in the draft, success is there for the taking.