When the Cincinnati Bengals shocked the world by knocking off the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game and punching their ticket to the Super Bowl in the 2021 season, fans saw the writing on the wall. It meant that, win or lose in the Super Bowl, the Bengals were likely going to be coached by Zac Taylor for the foreseeable future.
At the time, it might not have bothered fans that much. After all, Taylor had done the unimaginable and helped get the Bengals to a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, the team lost in that Super Bowl to the Rams and haven't been back since. They came close the next year but lost in the AFC Championship Game to the Chiefs.
That was the last time the Bengals have been to the playoffs. Yes, Joe Burrow has dealt with injuries but a team with this much talent should not be sitting at home watching the postseason unfold year after year. It's hard not to put a lot of the blame for that on Taylor. He's the one running the team on the field and, for three years running now, it hasn't been good enough to get the Bengals into the playoffs.
While Bengals fans aren't expecting the front office to can Taylor at season's end, Cincinnati was listed as a team that could potentially have a head coaching opening by ESPN reporter Dan Graziano. When asked what the over/under was on head coaches, Graziano gave his answer and listed the Bengals as a possible team to watch.
"I'll set it at six, since two (Titans and Giants) are already open and we're watching for potential change in places such as Las Vegas, Atlanta, Arizona, Miami, Cleveland and Cincinnati. I'm not saying all of those will come open, of course, but it wouldn't be shocking if three or four of them did."
Dan Graziano points to scenario that would thrill frustrated Bengals fans
To even hear the Bengals being grouped in with other possible teams looking to make a change at head coach is pretty eyebrow raising considering fans figured he was for sure back next year. Graziano (and Jeremy Fowler) did point out how Taylor has one year remaining on his contract and how letting him coach out the rest of his deal could be a realistic option for the Bengals moving forward.
More than likely, Taylor is retained for at least next year but once his contract is up, who knows what Mike Brown and the rest of the Bengals front office will decide to do?
Bengals fans are certainly appreciative of Taylor's efforts, especially during those special 2021 and 2022 seasons but it's been clear ever since that maybe he's not the right guy to get this team to the top of the NFL mountain.
This organization has never seemed to make the changes necessary to get to that point though, so while it's at least a nice thought that the franchise could at least be considering a change, Bengals fans probably aren't going to hold their breath on it actually happening.