
It should almost go without saying, but the Cincinnati Bengals have, by far, the NFL’s most appealing head-coaching job, should the organization move on from Zac Taylor.
Two words: Joe Burrow.
That trumps everything else. There are concerns about how the Bengals do things, no doubt. Fans don’t need the long list there.
But as ESPN’s Bill Barnwell perfectly explains why ranking the Bengals as the No. 1 job, most coaches getting hired simply hope they can eventually find a guy with the fraction of talent that Burrow already has:
“But at the same time, there’s Burrow. There aren’t many Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks around the NFL at any one time, and given how successful they usually are, the chance to coach one of them through their prime years rarely comes available. Most coaches join organizations hoping (or promising) that they can find a QB of Burrow’s caliber. The Bengals already have a Burrow. Now, they just need to find someone who can get him to believe again.”
And frankly, this is why the Bengals should be all over the idea of moving on from Taylor. Could things work out with him in the next year or two? Sure.
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But going and getting a defensive expert as head coach and an offensive coordinator who meshes well with Burrow? That might just be the thing that gets the Bengals back on track instantly.
A new head coach will want to see the organization continue to modernize, especially after years of embarrassing failures in attempting to cobble together even a mediocre defense. That means changes to the scouting department and otherwise.
But Burrow is in Cincinnati. The Bengals, then, don’t have any competition when it comes to desirable head-coaching jobs.