Whether he deserves to be or not, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is on the hot seat. His team is about to miss the playoffs for three years running, which is unacceptable with Joe Burrow at quarterback.
Well, Burrow has had two major injuries in that span, but nevertheless, Taylor seems to deny reality too often when it comes to what the team must do to fix its fundamental flaws.
Taylor can only work with the players the personnel department gives him. However, some of Cincinnati's poor talent evaluation should fall on the coach, who decides which guys to deploy on Sundays.
Maybe that's why it's time for a change in Who Dey Land. Because there's a much more seasoned, Super Bowl-winning assistant who appears to know the score better than Taylor does at present.
Vic Fangio comments on Eagles rookie's woes & how it highlights Bengals' biggest issue
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said back in January that he was "happy to be here right now" when pressed about potential head coaching opportunities in the future.
Fangio then proceeded to win a Super Bowl about a month later. I'll forgive you, reader, if you believe I'm straining credulity with the premise of this article by suggesting Fangio could be the next Bengals head coach. He's 67 years old, a Pennsylvania native, and has Philly's defense playing at an elite level once again.
At the same time, Fangio finally got his first Lombardi Trophy. His only shot at a head coaching gig was in Denver, when the Broncos were a dysfunctional mess with zero solutions at quarterback.
You don't think Fangio could at least consider the possibility of coaching a team quarterbacked by Burrow? Plus, the Bengals would be foolish to not at least inquire. The main nugget of this story is proof of that.
What Fangio recently said about his rookie second-round safety, Andrew Mukuba, and his broader point about playing newbies in the NFL, should really resonate throughout Who Dey Nation (via NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark):
"Early in the year, [Mukuba] had some bad plays that led to big plays for the opponent, and we haven't had that lately. [...] Bud Grant always used to say, ‘For every rookie you play, add a loss to your loss column.' I heard another guy say, 'You’ve got to pay taxes on when you play rookies.' But now it's game eleven coming up, he's not a rookie anymore."
Fancy that. The Eagles are starting both their top draft picks in linebacker Jihaad Campbell and Mukuba. Fangio has them as a top-eight scoring defense for the NFC's current No. 1 seed, in spite of Philly's struggling, 25th-ranked offense.
Fangio's two prime rookies aren't to blame for the blemishes on the Iggles' 8-2 record. It is funny that the quote happens to line up with that mark, though.
The broader point I'm making about the Bengals is this: Fangio's first stint in Philadelphia was brief. He served as a defensive consultant in 2022. It stands to reason he had some sound advice on how to build that defense that, yes, advanced to the Super Bowl that postseason, too.
A one-off stint with the Dolphins, where players struggled to buy into his system, preceded Fangio's second-stint homecoming to the Eagles and last season's Lombardi Trophy.
Cincinnati has given significant snaps to three of its top four draft selections in defensive end Shemar Stewart and linebackers Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter. They've all been dreadful, contributing their fair share to the Bengals' unprecedentedly awful defense.
highest graded rookie LBs and EDGEs per pff pic.twitter.com/9UPAunjR2d
— Cam ✰ (@teeithiggins) November 18, 2025
In case it's cut off, Jihaad Campbell is second on that list with a 78.4 PFF grade that dwarfs the likes of Knight and Carter. Never mind Stewart, who's battled through injuries and is on IR right now.
Given how elite Eagles GM Howie Roseman is at running his operation, and how he trusts the people around him to provide productive input, I'd be shocked if he didn't consult Fangio on some of his more recent player acquisitions.
Just some food for thought: When Fangio landed back in Philadelphia before the 2024 campaign, here were the most notable moves Roseman made on defense:
- Signed eventual All-Pro LB Zack Baun in free agency
- Drafted CB Quinyon Mitchell (Round 1, Pick 22)
- Traded up for DB Cooper DeJean (Round 2, Pick 40)
That's what a highly competent organization in lockstep looks like. The Bengals are not that, and it's agonizing to witness year after year.
Just me? I'd throw the bag at Vic Fangio — whatever the Bengals' version of that is — give him Burrow as his QB, and see what he could cook up to transform this Cincinnati defense. If any man can fix it, it's him.
Would like to take a second to pseudo-resubmit my candidacy for the Bengals' scouting department/front office, based on this comparative Philly/Cincy personnel breakdown:
Matt Fitzgerald's Big Board, 2024:
7. CB Quinyon Mitchell (22nd pick, Eagles)
10. CB Cooper DeJean (40th pick, Eagles)
25. RT Amarius Mims (18th pick, Bengals)
51. DT Kris Jenkins Jr. (49th pick, Bengals)
Matt Fitzgerald's Big Board, 2025:
14. LB Jihaad Campbell (32nd pick, Eagles)
46. S Andrew Mukuba (64th pick, Eagles
52. DE Shemar Stewart (17th pick, Bengals)
56. LB Demetrius Knight Jr. (49th pick, Bengals)
I could keep going, but I'll spare y'all. Stay tuned for a Howie vs. Duke Tobin deep dive coming soon.