NFL insider explains why the Bengals won't fire Zac Taylor despite lackluster season

While Cincinnati Bengals fans might hope that the front office fires Zac Taylor amid a disappointing 4-7 season, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated explained why he doesn't think that'll happen. Breer answered questions in his weekly mailbag and was asked by one reader if he thought the Bengals would move on from Taylor.

"Arthur, I don’t think the Cincinnati Bengals are moving on from Taylor (look at the team’s history, and what Taylor’s accomplished there), and I actually don’t think coaching is the issue, either."

Breer's first paragraph of his response is how he doesn't believe Cincinnati will kick Taylor to the curb and urges people to look at the Bengals' history and Taylor's accomplishments since getting the job in 2019. The part that might tick Bengals fans off is Breer saying that he doesn't think the Bengals' issues result from coaching. Breer actually blames the Bengals' struggles on the defensive side of the ball for the team's regression.

"The problem has been the defense. Defensive tackle, with D.J. Reader gone, is an issue. Sam Hubbard’s age and mileage is showing. The corners that the Bengals drafted have not really delivered. And last year, at safety, they missed the communication piece in losing Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell. So, they brought Bell back this year, and he’s shown that he’s clearly hit the back nine of his career. All of which is why Cincinnati now has to win shootouts."

Yes, the Bengals have reached new heights since Taylor has been the head coach but some could easily argue that the team's success hasn't been because of Taylor but rather because of Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, and in 2021 and 2022, the defensive output. Since the defense has regressed in the past few seasons, so has the team overall. Breer might not blame Taylor for this but fans certainly do. He is the head coach after all so he should shoulder that blame.

Albert Breer blames defense, not Zac Taylor for Bengals' regression in 2024

Breer concludes with, "Having Burrow creates a massive opportunity for the franchise. They need to take advantage of it."

This is what's been the most disappointing about the Bengals' 2024 season. Even with Burrow playing the best football of his NFL career, the Bengals have just four wins and their hopes of making the playoffs are officially gone after losing to the Chargers in Week 11. This is the last year the Bengals have Burrow on his rookie contract and it's a wasted year. Next year, he'll be a much bigger cap hit and the team will still have to pay Ja'Marr Chase as well.

Some might say that Taylor's an offensive-minded guy and the offense is good so he shouldn't get any of the blame but that's not how this works. Taylor's in charge of the team and will get blamed for things when they go poorly, as he should be. He's in charge of keeping the coordinators too so if the defense is performing poorly, then Taylor needs to get rid of Lou Anarumo and try something new on defense. He might not be the one in charge of running the show on defense but he can make the changes that need to be made.

Fans won't like that Zac Taylor is going to keep his job past this season (assuming that's what happens) but it shouldn't surprise anyone. This is the same franchise that stuck with Marvin Lewis for 16 years despite never winning a playoff game. As soon as Taylor got the Bengals to the Super Bowl, fans had to know that things would have to get really, really bad before the front office would even consider firing him. It's just how things work for this organization.