Cincinnati Bengals‘ Zac Taylor finds himself in an compelling situation: He’s now the longest-tenured head coach in the AFC North. That title used to belong to Mike Tomlin and even John Harbaugh, who were mainstays in the division.
Nonetheless, after years of being with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin is no longer the head coach, with Mike McCarthy taking over. Meanwhile, Harbaugh won’t be on the sidelines for the Baltimore Ravens as he’s now with the New York Giants.
During an appearance on the May 5 edition of “The Schrager Hour,” Taylor was asked about being in a division that no longer includes Tomlin and Harbaugh.
“It’s different,” Taylor told ESPN’s Peter Schrager. “What that means, I don’t know. We’re just focused on ourselves and being the best version of the Bengals we can be. Everything I’m trying to do is centered on the training camp schedule and how we can be at our best.
“We’re also looking at the early-season challenges we’ll face once the schedule comes out. When we play those teams, we’ll see if it’s any different, but it is strange. Since I walked in here, it was Harbaugh and Tomlin at their respective teams the whole time.”
Even though Taylor is the longest tenured head coach in the AFC North, there’s no question that he has the most pressure. After three straight seasons without reaching the playoffs, Cincinnati has made moves to improve its defense and ensure it finally returns to the postseason.
Anything short of that could lead to Taylor being out as the Bengals’ head coach.
Zac Taylor on Facing New Head Coaches in AFC North
Moreover, focusing on the changes around him within the division doesn’t necessarily mean Taylor will be able to have the upper hand over these new head coaches. The Bengals’ head coach notes that until he faces McCarthy, Minter, and even the Cleveland Browns‘ new head coach, Todd Monken, he will not know what he’s up against.
“It’s unusual when you think about it for a minute, but what does it really change?” Taylor added. “We’ll find out when we play those teams. From where I’m sitting, it feels like the Bengals are having a different kind of offseason.”
Ravens Urged to Sign Another Former Bengals Player
Speaking of the Ravens, they decided to sign former Bengals player Trey Hendrickson this offseason, who will be motivated to face Cincinnati twice in the upcoming 2026 season.
Nonetheless, during the May 4 edition of CBS Sports HQ, when discussing veteran free-agent running backs, Ryan Wilson stated that former Bengals running back would make sense for the Ravens.
“I love the idea of Joe Mixon landing with the Baltimore Ravens,” Wilson said. “It would give them a two-for-one type of setup. Mixon has dealt with injuries in recent years and has not been at his best, but if he can get healthy and is used in a reduced role, around 30 percent to 40 percent of his old workload, he could still be effective.”
It will be interesting to see if Mixon has anything left in the tank after spending the last two seasons with the Houston Texans, given concerns about his health.
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