Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has been all over the place in head coaching rankings this offseason.
Not too long ago, he popped up outside the top 20 in some rankings. There’s another set making the rounds now and it’s a bit more favorable to Taylor though. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin slots him 15th overall:
“He might be the biggest wild card of the entire group. Cincinnati will keep buying him beers for the way he oversaw the 2021 underdog run to the Super Bowl, but it’s hard to fully overlook the tepid big-game play-calling and, more so, the ghastly record he racked up prior to Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase’s emergence. The good news for Taylor is that as long as his offense keeps Burrow upright and on schedule, he’ll keep rising up the ranks.”
Dubbing Taylor a “wild card” is certainly fair, as is throwing him in the middle of the pack.
Like the team’s recent spots in power rankings, so is throwing him in the middle of the pack now until the success becomes sustainable.
No matter what the rankings say though, it has been admirable to see Taylor oversee the roster and culture overhaul while improving on the fly after coming in a tad inexperienced.
Should the Bengals keep rising as they project to, Taylor’s spot in rankings will do the same.
