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UPDATE
Adam Schefter adds it’s Zac Taylor’s job to lose and he’s the preferred choice for Cincinnati.
Bengals would like to hire Rams’ QB coach Zac Taylor after Los Angeles’ season ends, league sources tell @mortreport and me. It looks like it is Taylor’s job to lose. He is the preferred choice.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 10, 2019
The Bengals appear to have found their next head coach.
According to WLWT reporter Elise Jesse, Los Angeles Rams QBs coach Zac Taylor is expected to be named Cincinnati’s next head coach.
I was just told by one source about a half hour ago that the #Bengals are planning to name Zac Taylor as their Head Coach (after playoffs of course). I'm told by the same source that Troy and Katie made the call. Stay tuned.
— Elise Jesse (@Elise_JesseWLWT) January 10, 2019
Matt Miller of Bleacher Report added this:
Latest rumor is that Rams' QB coach Zac Taylor is the favorite for the #Bengals head coaching job. Heard he's been very impressive in interviews.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) January 10, 2019
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 the Bengals’ attention. He’s spent the last two seasons with the Rams, serving as 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.”
At just 35 years old, Taylor is a former quarterback who played college ball at Nebraska, where he was the 2006 Big 12 Player of the Year. When his college career concluded, the Buccaneers brought Taylor as an undrafted free agent, but he was waived shortly after, and he ended up playing in the CFL for a season before beginning his coaching career.
In 10 years, Taylor has worked his way up through the college and professional ranks, and now is a key assistant to a Rams offense that’s one of the best units in the NFL.
Zac Taylor Resume
- 2008-2011: Texas A&M (Graduate Assistant)
- 2012: Miami Dolphins (Assistant QB Coach)
- 2013-2014: Miami Dolphins (QB Coach)
- 2015: Miami Dolphins (QB Coach/Interim Offensive Coordinator)
- 2016: University of Cincinnati (Offensive Coordinator/QB Coach)
- 2017: Los Angeles Rams (Assistant WR Coach)
- 2018-present: Los Angeles Rams (QB Coach)