Zac Taylor talks upcoming coaching changes, support from front office

On Monday morning, the Cincinnati Bengals announced that Zac Taylor will return for a third season as the team’s head coach.

Taylor and the Bengals just capped off a 4-11-1 season that was ended with a 38-3 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The loss helped ensure that every AFC North team aside from the Bengals made the playoffs.

Cincinnati will still employ Taylor by the end of the week, but the same cannot be said about other coaches on his staff.

During his press conference on Monday afternoon, Taylor declined to comment on any potential assistant coaching changes; implying only that those decisions will be announced later in the week and that he himself will make those decisions.

Four of his assistants, including offensive line coach Jim Turner, have reportedly been told they will not return for the 2021 season. Running backs coach Jemal Singleton is also reportedly planning to join the University of Kentucky for the same job.

The big question remaining is whether or not Lou Anarumo will return as the team’s defensive coordinator. Cincinnati’s defense has been an underperforming unit since Anarumo was hired as a part of Taylor’s original staff back in 2019. Anarumo is the most notable assistant whose future remains up in the air.

We don’t know what has been said between Taylor and the front office about coaching staff changes and Taylor’s long-term future with the team, but he did comment how supportive they are of him and his direction of the team.

“It’s enormous. We do feel like we’re very close to turning the corner,” Taylor said. “We have to win more football games, there’s no doubt about it.”

Winning football games should be the only way Taylor gets to keep his job beyond the 2021 season. Hopefully a revamped staff can help make that possible.