Bengals News: Zac Taylor Hot Seat Watch

The Cincinnati Bengals are coming out of their Week 6 bye and are set to travel to Baltimore for their second division game of the 2026 season. They’re 3-2, but they’ve been a mixed bag so far. The offense, despite the star power, has struggled with consistency. The defense has shown progress in some ways, but they haven’t shown themselves to be among the league’s top-ranked units.

After three straight seasons of missing the playoffs following two consecutive trips to the AFC Championship and one Super Bowl appearance, head coach Zac Taylor’s leash may finally be starting to get tight. With the Bengals still very much in the mix in the division, it’s too early to say Taylor could be on his way out, but some think the process could be accelerated with a bad showing against the Ravens.

The Bengals under Taylor have been notoriously slow starters. The offense, with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, has looked mediocre at times, and the defense, after a good start, has struggled over the last couple weeks. Burrow and the weapons around him have a finite amount of time in the league to win a championship, and they can’t afford to waste any more time.

This weekend could tell us a lot about what happens next.

Here’s what else is going on:

Bengals Get Encouraging Injury News on Key Playmaker Ahead of Ravens Game

“He’s looked as good as he’s looked in a long time,” Taylor said. “I think last week he had a good week on what he could handle from a rehab perspective. So this week to get him back involved, he looked good running around today. I think it’s good to finally get him back and feel like he’s closer to 100% health.”

Bengals Urged to Trade for 19-Sack Defender

“I would say Yaya Diaby because you could extend him and make him a part of your d-line of the future,” said Liscow on why he is so high on the Bengals adding Diaby. “I think that would be one of the more expensive options on the list, especially when you factor in the extension required there. But pairing him with Dexter Lawrence and with Boy Mafe gives you three really good players on that defensive line to build around.”

Bengals may have a green light to trade for Colts 3-time Pro Bowler after Chris Ballard’s firing, but an obstacle needs to be addressed

There’s no question Taylor is the better tailback compared to Brown, and his production from this season is enough of an argument on its own. Taylor has 492 yards and seven touchdowns on 122 carries through six games. Over 80% of his yardage has come from under center concepts, and he’s averaging 4.4 yards per carry on those runs. He would be an obvious upgrade over Brown as the lead back in Cincinnati’s run game.

The Bengals used their bye to look inward. Here’s what stood out

“I think certainly we’ve had our moments in all three phases that you feel like this is who we’re going to be,” Taylor said. “And now it’s just putting the complete game together in all three phases.”