Bengals and Zac Taylor release statement on hiring

The worst-kept secret in the NFL is now a reality.

On Monday, the Cincinnati Bengals officially hired Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as their new head coach. This has been a done deal for a while now, but the hire couldn’t become official until the Rams’ season ended.

Less than 24 hours after Los Angeles’ season ended in Super Bowl 53, Taylor was named the team’s next head coach, replacing Marvin Lewis.

“I am happy and fortunate to join the Cincinnati Bengals as head coach,” Taylor said in a press release. “This is a great organization with good people and a rich history, and I am excited to get started. I am looking to add to that history by setting high standards, and holding everyone here accountable to those standards. There is a lot of work to do, and this is Day 1. We’re going to attack every day with enthusiasm to get this team ready to go.”

Taylor is the team’s first head-coaching hire since 2003 when Lewis was named the team’s head coach. During that span, Taylor has been a Big 12 Player of the Year quarterback at Nebraska, played in the CFL, and has had several coaching stints with various college and NFL teams.

Prior to joining the Rams, Taylor was an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins from 2012-15, including a stint as interim offensive coordinator for the team’s final five games of 2015. In 2016, he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. He joined the Rams in 2017 as assistant wide receivers coach, then was named quarterbacks coach in 2018.

“Zac is a bright coach with an offensive mind and background, which is important to have in today’s NFL,” said Bengals president Mike Brown. “And he’s young. He embraces new ideas and new ways to do things, which will be a good thing for us. I believe our team will be exciting and fun to watch with him at the helm.”

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