Since 2019, Zac Taylor’s head coaching tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals has been filled with immense highs and disappointing lows. Quite a bit of the lows have been out of Taylor’s control, due to major injuries to huge stars over the past seven seasons, but the team is at a crossroads this offseason.
While the prevailing thought is that Cincinnati’s brain trust will run things back with all of the major figureheads in place for 2026, the heat under Taylor’s seat is undoubtedly warm—even as a coach with a slow-moving franchise. Recently, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano—trusted NFL and AFC North Insiders with ESPN—weighed in on Taylor’s immediate future with the Bengals.
“Cincinnati’s Zac Taylor appears to be safe,” they noted, per a recent ESPN article. This isn’t too much of a surprise, given the team’s preference for consistency at the head coaching ranks and the perceived leeway they are giving Taylor, given strong finishes to recent playoff-less seasons, as well as Joe Burrow and others.
It can be argued that the Bengals have seen the best run in their franchise history under Taylor, with their Super Bowl LVI appearance and near-win, as well as a subsequent AFC Championship Game appearance in 2022. However, Cincinnati has failed to make the playoffs in the three seasons since, with injuries to Burrow and others, as well as roster erosion being the primary culprits to the failures.
As it goes with expectations failing to be met, Taylor has been under the microscope since. When Burrow came back this year from a toe injury and the team lost back-to-back must-win games against Buffalo and Baltimore, respectively, Taylor’s job status seemed to be in jeopardy.
However, with a couple of recent dominant wins and the team seemingly taking these accrued injuries into account, the Bengals appear to be content with Taylor returning in 2026. In an odd turn of events, Taylor’s contract status was recently revealed to be lengthier than originally thought, with a quiet additional extension given to him after an initial one after that 2021-2022 run.
Moving away from Taylor’s coaching news with the Bengals, Graziano and Fowler talked about other assistants who could get head coaching looks this offseason. One they mentioned was offensive coordinator, Dan Pitcher.
“It wouldn’t surprise to see Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher on the interview circuit,” they noted. On one hand, this makes a ton of sense, as Pitcher oversaw a legendary statistical year from Burrow in 2024, and navigated three starting quarterbacks in 2025, with both Burrow and Joe Flacco seeing statistical success. He was also a part of the brain trust that spearheaded Jake Browning’s rise to fame at the end of 2023, despite his struggles in relief of Burrow early this season.
There may be some hesitancy from clubs with Pitcher, though, given his discipleship under Brian Callahan, who was an early termination as head coach in Tennessee. Former Bengals and current Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was a hot name early this season, but with Indianapolis’ falter down the stretch, those rumors have cooled a bit.
One other note that Graziano and Fowler made regarding the AFC North was with the Cleveland Browns. It’s unclear what Kevin Stefanski’s future holds, but if certain names become available, that’s a team that hasn’t been shy about major changes.
Should Mike McDaniel be let loose from the Dolphins, the ESPN insiders feel as if he would be a good fit with the Browns. “My sense is that McDaniel would be a candidate in Cleveland, should the Dolphins move on and Cleveland’s job open, Fowler noted.
Regardless, the consensus opinion, inside and outside of Who Dey circles, is that Taylor will remain with the Bengals in 2026.
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