Zac Taylor survived with his job after the Cincinnati Bengals missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season, but the same can't be said about the entire coaching staff. The Bengals parted ways with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, in addition to offensive line coach Frank Pollack, defensive line coach Marion Hobby and linebackers coach James Bettcher.
Will Zac Taylor be on the hot seat next season?
Moving on from those coaches was Taylor's decision, one he described as being extremely difficult, and now the pressure is squarely on the head coach moving forward. At least according to Bengals legend Andrew Whitworth.
"Once you start making those changes, they gotta work. Because now it starts to fall back on you," Whitworth said, via Sports Illustrated. "How they start the year and the way it goes is going to fall on Zac Taylor. It really will tell the story of what is going to be possible of this Joe Burrow-led Bengals organization.
"How do they handle Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase with contracts and how they move forward?" Whitworth asked. "This is a big year for Zac Taylor and the Cincinnati Bengals."
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Whitworth is completely correct. Coaches often get an opportunity to change coordinators if things don't work out, but that opportunity rarely presents itself twice. If the same issues presist under a new coordinator, moving on from the head coach is typically the next move.
So, Taylor is officially on the clock. He's clearly valued and viewed highly within the organization, but that will only last so long if the team continues to underachieve and waste Joe Burrow's prime playing days.
Getting off to a quicker start in 2025 will be imperative for Taylor and the Bengals. The team started 0-2 in each of the last three seasons, and their slow start in 2024 was a big part of the reason why the team fell short of qualifying for postseason play. Had Cincinnati simply won one of its earlier games -- like say, the season opener against the lowly New England Patriots -- they likely would have made the playoffs.
It's not like Whitworth said anything that Taylor doesn't already know. Pressure is inherently part of coaching in the NFL, and when a team struggles, that pressure only escalates. Let's see how Taylor responds.