Zac Taylor’s brother explains why he didn’t leave the Eagles for the Bengals

Before Brian Callahan was unofficially announced by Jon Gruden as the Zac Taylor’s hire as offensive coordinator for the Bengals, Zac’s brother Press was the commonly rumored candidate to take the job.

Like Callahan, and Zac as well, Press was a quarterbacks coach for the 2018 season and had no better connection to the Bengals’ newest head coach. Press has been with the Philadelphia Eagles since 2016 and has watched and guided quarterback Carson Wentz into the $128 million quarterback he is today.

As far as applicants go, Press had a pretty good résumé for the job. He recently explained why it wasn’t meant to be.

“I’m under contract with the Eagles,” Taylor said. “I really enjoy being here. I’m in a great situation. Obviously, working with a great player. A great quarterback room and a great franchise, from our front office down to our head coach, I’ve really enjoyed where we’re at and it was the right situation for my brother to take that opportunity. Very excited for him. There’s no bigger Bengals fan in this organization, I’ll tell you that. I’m excited he’s in the AFC as well so we can keep communicating throughout the year, until we get to the Super Bowl if that’s the case.”

When it comes to progressive and openminded franchises, the Eagles are at the top of the totem pole. Arguably no roster has a more balanced and talented core while also boasting a personnel department so inclined to utilizing analytics in their team-building process. For any coach, working in Philadelphia is a dream right now, so it’s hard to blame Taylor for not wanting to come over to the more conservative and resistant-to-chance environment in Cincinnati, even if a promotion was involved.

But like Zac, Press is very young and his coaching career in the NFL has really just begun. He won’t be in Philadelphia forever and he won’t be there for long if Wentz keeps producing at a high level. If the Bengals move on from Callahan in the near future, Zac’s brother will surely pop up as a name to be considered as his replacement.

For now, Press will continue making his own mark outside his brother’s shadow, which is hard to disrespect.