Joe Burrow, Bengals' Stars Stance on Zac Taylor's Job Security Revealed by NFL Insider

The Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly expected to retain head coach Zac Taylor amid support from quarterback Joe Burrow and other key players.

According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, Burrow has been "a consistent voice of support" for Taylor, along with wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Although the Bengals are 6-10 this season and have missed the playoffs in three consecutive years, the expectation is that Taylor is safe since the organization has "listened in the past" to Burrow's opinions.

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Taylor has been the Bengals' head coach since 2019, and he was joined by Burrow in 2020 when Cincinnati made Burrow the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

Over his seven seasons with the Bengals, Taylor has a losing record of 52-62-1, and he has only made the playoffs twice, although both of his postseason appearances resulted in deep runs.

In 2021, the Bengals upset the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game before falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the Super Bowl, and then they lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game the following season.

However, the Bengals fell short of the playoffs in 2023 and 2024 with matching 9-8 records, and they missed out on the playoffs again this season with a mark of just 6-10.

The Bengals' struggles over the past few years can largely be attributed to both Burrow missing significant time due to injury, and the fact that Cincinnati has one of the league's worst defenses.

In 2023, Burrow was limited to 10 games because of wrist injury, and he also missed nine games this season with a toe injury.

Burrow's only fully healthy season over the past three was 2024, and he put up one of the best statistical seasons by a quarterback in NFL history, completing 70.6 percent of his passes for 4,918 yards, 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

However, the Bengals ranked 25th in both total defense and scoring defense, contributing to their 9-8 record.

The Bengals have been even worse on the defensive side of the ball this season, ranking last in total defense and 31st in scoring defense. That, coupled with Burrow missing so much time, played a role in the Bengals finishing below .500 for the first time since 2020.

Still, the Bengals' offense is typically explosive when it has its full allotment of weapons, led by Burrow, Chase and Higgins. Since offense is Taylor's area of expertise, perhaps there is some merit to giving him one more season at the helm in hopes that Burrow, Chase, Higgins and Co. can play a full campaign together.

One can only assume, though, that Taylor will be on a short leash if he sticks around in 2026, given that the Bengals haven't reached the playoffs since 2022.