When thinking about who could take the reins of the Cincinnati Bengals if Zac Taylor is out by the end of the season, first, the front office has to think about what direction they want the Bengals to go in.
With a promising young quarterback who hopes to propel this franchise further than ever before, the Bengals surely want to go with another offensive-minded coach. Except maybe this time, they should hire someone with more experience rather than try to find Sean McVay light.
Cincinnati Bengals Options to Replace Zac Taylor
Eric Bieniemy – Chiefs Offensive Coordinator
Just call Eric Bieniemy the Moby Dick of the NFL coaching world and there are several GMs & Owners thinking of themselves as Captain Ahab, except Bieniemy didn’t go around biting their legs off.
Many have speculated on why Bieniemy wasn’t hired in the 2020 offseason, but it seems that he is just happy in Kansas City and why wouldn’t he be? What Bieniemy has accomplished in KC is remarkable — Developing a generational talent, crazy offensive schemes, great running game.
The Chiefs can beat teams in any way they want on offense, but their opponents get to pick their poison. Burrow isn’t and will never be what Patrick Mahomes is, but given the talent level that is in Cincy on offense along with their young age, Bieniemy could really make this offense look flashy and fun and possibly become a scoring juggernaut.
If the Bengals part ways with Taylor by the end of this year, this is the first call they should make, and go early because every team looking to hire will have Eric Bieniemy at the top of their lists.
Cincinnati Bengals Options to Replace Zac Taylor
Brain Daboll – Bills Offensive Coordinator
I didn’t know what to think of Josh Allen when he came into the league, but I did not expect he’d be playing at the level he is at now. Much of this success can be attributed to Brain Daboll.
According to Mark Gaughan at Buffalonews.com: “The Bills lead the NFL in 3rd down conversions at 49.7%. They were No. 2 in Overall yards, and No. 3 in first-down success, gaining an average of 6.59 yards per play.”
Daboll could help Burrow and the offense click and truly find success and, maybe in under three seasons, lead the Bengals to the playoffs. Another thing that could play in his favor is Burrow is much more of a pure pocket passer.
The Bengals have a great running back with Mixon and hopefully, he comes back healthy, because begin able to come up with a great play-action-pass scheme would allow for more possibilities rather than a running quarterback.
Although Burrow can’t sling it like Allen, the Bengals’ wide receiver core doesn’t require beating teams over the top.
Cincinnati Bengals Options to Replace Zac Taylor
Joe Brady – Panthers Offensive Coordinator
Joe Brady is still green experience-wise and still quite young at 31. I don’t know if the Bengals would want to go in this direction again going with a young hotshot coach with more promise than experience.
That being said, it’s hard to look past the success Brady had with Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in 2019 as the Passing Game Coordinator & Wide Receivers coach at LSU. Burrow had arguably one of the greatest college seasons with Brady at his side and it ended with LSU as the National Champions of college football.
With Brady being so young, I don’t see many teams coming for him after 2021 unless Sam Darnold has the season of a lifetime, which is a comical thought. If Brady can get Darnold to look like what everyone thought he would when went No. 3 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. then people might start to take notice.
After all, Sean McVay was relatively young when he got the job in Los Angeles, so it’s not a reason to avoid potential head coaches.
Cincinnati Bengals Options to Replace Zac Taylor
Todd Bowles – Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator
It’s safe to say that the Bengals don’t want to go in the direction of hiring a defensive-minded coach. However, Todd Bowles got a raw deal in New York and I’m glad he showed the world why he deserves a second chance.
Depending on who fans talk to, the Jets and Bengals front office might not be too far off. However, the Bengals would probably give Bowles a little longer to adjust than what the Jets ended up giving him. Also, maybe we could see that great Bengals defense we had not so long ago.
After 16 years of a defensive-minded coach, the Bengals won’t want to go in that direction again, especially not with a quarterback like Joe Burrow, who they’re putting a lot of stock in.
The Bengals would still be crazy to not interview Bowles though, especially after what he was able to cook up against Bieniemy’s Chiefs earlier this year in Super Bowl LV. That was very impressive.
Cincinnati Bengals Options to Replace Zac Taylor
Byron Leftwich – Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator
I am now old enough to have seen coaches played. I don’t like this.
Byron Leftwich has been under the offensive guru Bruce Arians for a season in Arizona and now Tampa Bay. Yes, he did have Tom Brady last year, but Brady’s light looked to be fading at the end of the 2019 season then he was back in regular form in 2020. It’s hard not to give Leftwich credit for that.
Arain’s offensive system has been notoriously hard to get down, leading to players struggling in the beginning or even for the entire season (See Winston’s year with the Bucs and Arians). Leftwich has been learning this system with a clear understanding and ability to communicate it to the players.
Leftwich will be a coach to watch in the 2021 offseason and pairing him with Burrow and the rest of these Bengals weapons would be a lot of fun. Hopefully, if the Bengals do indeed fire Taylor, they give Leftwich a call and see if he’s interested in coming to Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Bengals Options to Replace Zac Taylor
Dan Mullen – Florida Gators Head Coach
Most of you readers don’t know this about me yet, but I am a big Florida Gators fan so this may come off a bit bias, but Dan Mullen might be a quarterback whisperer just like Andy Reid has become.
Mullen has coached Alex Smith, Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott, and Kyle Trask, all quarterbacks who had major success in college and two in the NFL (Smith, and Prescott) with Trask yet to be seen in the NFL.
The drawback with Mullen is he does not have any pro experience. As we have seen, not all good college coaches can transfer their success to the NFL. That doesn’t mean they can’t or won’t do well.
Also, does Mullen have any interest in going to the NFL? Florida is prime real estate for recruiting and Mullen may be content to stay in Gainesville for a long time. That doesn’t mean NFL teams won’t come to see in Mullen has any interest. If he does, Cincy wouldn’t be a bad option for him and he could work his magic on Burrow.
Cincinnati Bengals Options to Replace Zac Taylor
Lincoln Riley – Oklahoma Sooners Head Coach
Lincoln Riley seems to have no interest in the NFL. This isn’t really a surprise, as when a coach finds as much unbridled success as he has had and the school clearly wants to keep him, why would anyone want to leave? More TV coverage, more press, more money, especially with Oklahoma’s move to the SEC coming soon.
If Riley keeps winning in Norman he could sign a pretty extension after the move to the SEC with Texas. However, that doesn’t stop that little voice in the back of a coach’s head about coaching in the NFL. If you give an enticing enough offer you can get anyone to the NFL. I never thought Urban Meyer would go, but what he was offered was too good to pass up.
Riley would be coming into a team with what seems to be a good quarterback in Burrow and we all know how Riley’s teams do with a Heisman quarterback at the helm. I doubt the Brown family would ever give a deal like Meyer or Jon Gruden got and for those reasons I don’t think we’ll see Lincoln Riley on the sideline.
Never say never though.
Cincinnati Bengals Options to Replace Zac Taylor
Ryan Day – Ohio State University
Ryan Day has had two years as a head coach, but more like a year and a half games-wise, given his track record at Ohio State. It would be almost a hometown hire, as there’s lots of fan crossover, and he has previous NFL experience as a quarterback coach for the Eagles and 49ers.
Though I was not excited when Taylor was hired after only having quarterback coaching experience in the NFL, Day at least has head coaching experience. It may be in college and there is a lot more work that goes into an NFL job but he has that leadership experience over a 53-man roster.
It wouldn’t be a surprise for the Bengals to look Day’s way if they part with Taylor. I don’t know if Day would want to leave his set-up at Ohio State citing the same reasons for Riley and Mullen but with him coaching in the state of Ohio, it’s not a crazy thought for the Bengals to reach out and see if he’s interested.
Do any of these potential options sound like a good match for the Bengals?