Bengals request interview with Rams QBs coach Zac Taylor

The Bengals have their first reported interview request for an outside candidate.

According to Ian Rapoport, the Bengals have requested an interview with Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor.

Taylor was actually the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bearcats back in 2016, so he’s familiar with the Queen City, which might explain how he caught Mike Brown’s eye. He’s spent the last two seasons with the Rams, serving as an wide receivers coach in 2017, then the quarterbacks coach this past season.

Taylor is viewed as an assistant on the rise who is also drawing head-coaching interest from the Cardinals. Rams head coach Sean McVay, viewed as one of the top offensive minds in football, talked about Taylor’s impact during a December interview with The MMQB:

”He’s instrumental in our third-down game-planning. And he doesn’t just agree with everything, he challenges you but in a way that’s very welcoming. Sometimes in the NFL disagreements can be uncomfortable in a staff meeting, but not here. There’s a refreshing security that Zac has in himself. He has great emotional intelligence and awareness for how to communicate in a way that makes peoples’ guards go down. That’s a great trait for a coach to have.”

Hiring a quarterbacks coach doesn’t sound sexy, but it appears Taylor has respect in the coaching ranks and is actually getting interest form multiple NFL teams. You can’t say that about Darrin Simmons, who is someone the Bengals are taking a hard look at.

Taylor is also a former quarterback who played briefly for the Buccaneers, as well as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL.