Bengals: Zac Taylor gets major love from Mike Daniels

Recently signed defensive tackle Mike Daniels gives the Cincinnati Bengals’ man at the helm, Zac Taylor, some major love in his opening press conference.

The Cincinnati Bengals have gone on quite the spree of landing high-profile names in free agency. The latest of which is Pro Bowl defensive tackle Mike Daniels, who figures to complete a trio of terrific interior linemen for defensive line coach Nick Eason to pair with some dangerous edge rushers. After the former Iowa Hawkeye’s opening press conference, it appears that Zac Taylor is a big part of the reasoning behind his decision to come to the Queen City.

Daniels undoubtedly had a number of suitors for his services, especially after the league saw many defensive tackles opt-out of the season. However, a few conversations with Taylor was enough to secure the mammoth DT for the orange and black over the competition.

"“He seems like a guy… who really cares about his players. He’s what the guys would consider a players coach. [That] doesn’t mean he’s soft, doesn’t mean that he isn’t gonna work guys hard. It means he really has his player’s best interest at hand.”"

Perhaps the sentiment expressed here from Daniels can explain why the front office was able to land so many of the free agents they targeted on their way to putting together a historic offseason.

Zac Taylor is turning into a great recruiter

Zac Taylor, entering only his second year as a head coach, has a lot of work cut out for him. After all, as Bengals fans are well aware, he only secured two victories in his first season.

What he does already have going for him, however, is the work he’s been able to accomplish within the locker room and the organization. At this point, few can argue with the culture he’s building and Daniels took note of that,

"“To be with a coach that has the pulse of the team goes to show… he cares about the guys… Now you’re playing for something bigger than yourself, you’re playing for your coach. You want to make your coach happy, you want to make your coach look good.”"

This assessment from Daniels can perhaps explain why the team was still fighting so hard down the stretch of last season, despite being apart of a squad with seemingly nothing to play for.

Taylor has got his players rallied around him and the rest of the franchise. It’s becoming more apparent to the outside world as each day passes and it’s turned the 37-year-old coach into a tremendous recruiter. He still has work to do between the lines, but his abilities are already paying off for Cincinnati in the free-agent market.