 Taylor with theCincinnati Bengals in 2019 | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1983-05-10)May 10, 1983 (age 42) Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Norman |
| College | Wake Forest (2002–2003) Butler (KS) (2004) Nebraska (2005–2006) |
| NFL draft | 2007: undrafted |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Coaching | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 49–60–1 (.450) |
| Postseason | 5–2 (.714) |
| Career | 54–62–1 (.466) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Zachary William Taylor[1] (born May 10, 1983) is an American professionalfootball coach and formerquarterback who is thehead coach of theCincinnati Bengals of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theWake Forest Deacons,Butler Grizzlies, andNebraska Cornhuskers before signing with theTampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007 as anundraftedfree agent.
Taylor was named Cincinnati's head coach in 2019, where he went 6–25–1 in his first two years. In 2021, Taylor led the Bengals to their first playoff win since 1990, ending the longest active drought in the four major North American sports, en route to an appearance inSuper Bowl LVI. Taylor followed this up with 12 wins and a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2022. During his time with the Bengals, Taylor has won five postseason games, matching the franchise total prior to his hiring as head coach.
Despite Taylor's record-setting career atNorman High School inNorman, Oklahoma, few colleges recruited him. In 2002, Taylor signed withWake Forest, where heredshirted his first year and filled in as a backup position the next, completing the only pass he attempted in those two years. From there, Taylor transferred toButler Community College in Kansas, where he had a breakout season, leading Butler to theNJCAA championship game and earning second-team NJCAAAll-American honors.
After his 2004 season Taylor looked at multipleNCAA Division I schools, includingMemphis,Marshall and Nebraska. Nebraska had abandoned their long standing running/option offense for an entirely new,West Coast offense led by newly appointed coachBill Callahan. The Huskers had a rebuilding season in 2004, going 5–6 and missing abowl bid for the first time since 1968. His recruitment late in the 2004–05 off-season by the Huskers was described as a "lucky break" due to the Huskers' lack of quarterbacks at the time.
Taylor had a rough start, statistically speaking, in his 2005 year at Nebraska, completing 39 of 89 passes for 399 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions in his first three games. However, in his fourth game, Taylor had a breakout day againstIowa State, throwing for a school record 431 yards on 36 of 55 passing with two touchdowns. The 36 completions was also a school record at the time.[2] He would struggle again five weeks later throwing for only 117 yards againstKansas as the Cornhuskers lost to the Jayhawks for the first time in 37 years. Taylor had up and down performances throughout the season, ending in a 30–3 victory overColorado where he threw 392 yards,[3] and a come-from-behind 32–28 victory over theMichigan Wolverines in theAlamo Bowl, where he threw a Nebraska bowl record three touchdown passes.[4] Taylor broke the school record for passing yards in a season with 2,653 yards on 55.1% of his passes being complete.
In his 2006 opener againstLouisiana Tech, Taylor showed significant improvement over his season-opener the previous year, completing 22 of 33 attempts for 287 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.[5] In the next game againstNicholls State, Taylor once again showed his precision in passing the ball, finishing 19 of 23 for 202 yards and a new career-best in four touchdown passes.[6]
Taylor led the Nebraska Cornhuskers to a record of 9–3 with an appearance in the 2006Big 12 Championship Game, facing off against theOklahoma Sooners.[7][8] Taylor passed for 2,789 yards and 24 touchdown passes during the regular season and earnedBig 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
| Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons | ||||||||||||||
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | — |  Redshirted | ||||||||||
| 2003 | 3 | 0 | 0–0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 100.0 | 0 | 0 | 125.2 | 3 | 9 | 3.0 | 0 |
| Butler Grizzlies | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 | 10 | 10 | 10–0 | 172 | 274 | 2,682 | 62.8 | 27 | 8 | 171.7 | 26 | −60 | −2.3 | 0 |
| Nebraska Cornhuskers | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 | 12 | 12 | 8–4 | 237 | 430 | 2,653 | 55.1 | 19 | 12 | 115.9 | 76 | −41 | −0.5 | 1 |
| 2006 | 14 | 14 | 9–5 | 233 | 391 | 3,197 | 59.6 | 26 | 8 | 146.1 | 60 | −32 | −0.5 | 1 |
| Totals | 29 | 26 | 17–9 | 470 | 821 | 5,850 | 57.2 | 45 | 20 | 130.3 | 139 | -64 | -0.5 | 2 |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+3⁄8 in (1.89 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | 32 in (0.81 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 5.06 s | 1.67 s | 2.84 s | 4.60 s | 7.39 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) | 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Taylor went undrafted in the2007 NFL draft. He was signed by theTampa Bay Buccaneers but was cut, according to Taylor, as he was packing to leave for training camp.[11] Taylor then went to Canada and joined theWinnipeg Blue Bombers in theCFL. He spent the season on the team's practice roster, but did not return for the 2008 season. The Blue Bombers lost the95th Grey Cup that season.[12]
Returning from Canada, Taylor became a graduate assistant and then tight ends coach at Texas A&M, serving four years under head coachMike Sherman, his mentor and father-in-law.[13][14]
On January 30, 2012, Taylor was named assistant quarterbacks coach for the NFL'sMiami Dolphins.[15]
On November 30, 2015, Taylor was promoted to the team's interim offensive coordinator, after the firing of the previous offensive coordinator,Bill Lazor. During the five games Taylor served as offensive coordinator, the Dolphins went 2–3 and averaged 17 points per game,[16] a slight regress from their per-game average under Lazor, though interim head coachDan Campbell still had positive things to say about Taylor's performance.[17]
In January 2016, Taylor was hired byUniversity of Cincinnati Bearcats head coachTommy Tuberville to be the Bearcats' offensive coordinator. According to Taylor, Jim Turner, who had been an offensive line coach for the Dolphins, was the one who connected him with Tuberville.[16] Taylor was seen as a "rising star in the coaching ranks" by the Bearcats, thanks to his experience in the NFL and his job developingMiami Dolphins quarterbackRyan Tannehill. Under Taylor's mentoring Tannehill became only the second Miami quarterback with multiple 3,000-yard seasons, as well as totaling the third-most passing yards for a quarterback in his first four seasons in NFL history, with 15,460.[18]
In 2017, Taylor was hired byLos Angeles Rams head coachSean McVay as assistant wide receivers coach. In 2018, Taylor was promoted to quarterbacks coach.[11] That season, Taylor coached quarterbackJared Goff to the NFC Championship and an appearance inSuper Bowl LIII on February 3, 2019.
On February 4, 2019, Taylor was hired as head coach by theCincinnati Bengals.[19]
Taylor narrowly lost in his head coaching debut to theSeattle Seahawks by a score of 21–20. The Bengals lost their next 10 games, posting an 0–11 record, the worst start to a season in franchise history.[20] Starting quarterbackAndy Dalton was benched ahead of the Week 10 matchup against theBaltimore Ravens.[21] RookieRyan Finley started the next three weeks, but after being ineffective, Dalton was renamed the starter before the Week 13 matchup against theNew York Jets. By beating the Jets 22–6, Taylor recorded his first win as the Bengals' coach and snapped a franchise-record 13-game losing streak dating back to the previous season.[22] The following week, the Bengals lost to theCleveland Browns in Taylor's first head-to-head matchup against the division rivals, by a score of 27–19.[23] After a Week 16 38–35 overtime road loss to theMiami Dolphins, the Bengals secured the first overall pick in the2020 NFL draft.[24] The Bengals finished the season with a 2–14 record following a 33–23 victory over the Browns in Week 17, matching a franchise-worst record set in 2002.[25]
Taylor went into the 2020 season with first-overall pickJoe Burrow as the team's starting quarterback.[26] It was also the first time since 2010 that the Bengals season began withoutAndy Dalton on the roster since Dalton was signed by theDallas Cowboys in the offseason.[27]
The Bengals lost their first game of the season to theLos Angeles Chargers by a score of 16–13.[28] Taylor and the Bengals saw their first win of the season in a Week 4 33–25 victory over theJacksonville Jaguars.[29] A subsequent Week 5 loss to theBaltimore Ravens by a score of 27–3, in which Taylor called an offensive drive and field goal in the final seconds to prevent a shutout, dropped Taylor's road record with the Bengals to 0–11–1.[30]
During Week 7, Taylor and the Bengals had a 34–31 lead over theCleveland Browns with a minute left, but lost by a score of 37–34 following a touchdown drive by the Browns. It was the fifth time that season the Bengals lost a game despite having a lead during the fourth quarter.[31] However, the Bengals pulled off a major 31–20 upset victory over theTennessee Titans the following week.[32]
During Week 11 against theWashington Football Team, Burrow suffered a season-ending knee injury. With Finley playing the rest of the game, the Bengals went on to lose 20–9.[33] The Bengals' next win would be a Week 15Monday Night Football matchup against the heavily favoredPittsburgh Steelers. With Finley at quarterback, the Bengals went on to defeat the Steelers 27–17. It was also Finley's first start of the season afterBrandon Allen was elevated from the practice squad to be the starter following Burrow's injury.[34] The Bengals went on to win the following week on the road over theHouston Texans by a score of 37–31 with Allen as quarterback. It was the first road win of Taylor's tenure with the Bengals (the team's first since 2018) and also the first winning streak of Taylor's head coaching career.[35]
The Bengals finished with a 4–11–1 record, marking the third straight season the Bengals finished fourth in the AFC North. The following day, Bengals ownerMike Brown confirmed that Taylor would return as head coach for the 2021 season.[36]
Taylor began his third season with a healthyJoe Burrow under center, having recovered from his knee injury the previous year. Facing theMinnesota Vikings in Week 1, the Bengals won on a last second field goal in overtime by rookie kickerEvan McPherson. Facing the 3–1Green Bay Packers at home in Week 5, Taylor and his Bengals scored a game-tying touchdown with 3:27 to play at 22–22. Packers kickerMason Crosby missed three field goals in a four-minute span, including a go-ahead 36-yarder with 2:12 to play, a 51-yard game-winner as time expired, and a 40-yard game-winner as Burrow threw an interception on the first play of overtime. McPherson missed two tries as well, including a 57-yarder with 0:26 to play in regulation, and a 49-yarder in overtime after Crosby's third miss. The Packers drove down the field one last time and Crosby scored on a 49-yard try with 1:55 left in overtime to drop the Bengals to 3–2.[37] During Week 16 against theBaltimore Ravens, the Bengals won 41–21, giving them their first winning season since 2015.[38] The following week, Taylor helped secure the Bengals' firstAFC North division title since 2015 when they defeated theKansas City Chiefs.[39]
The Bengals finished the season with a 10–7 record and qualified for the playoffs.[40] Taylor then led the team to their first playoff win since the1990 season after they beat theLas Vegas Raiders 26–19 in theWild Card Round.[41] In theDivisional Round, the Bengals beat the top-seededTennessee Titans 19–16 for their first road playoff win in franchise history and advanced to their firstAFC Championship Game since 1988.[42][43] In theAFC Championship, the Bengals defeated theKansas City Chiefs 27–24 on the road in overtime to reach their first Super Bowl sinceSuper Bowl XXIII.[44] InSuper Bowl LVI, the Bengals lost 23–20 to theLos Angeles Rams.[45] Following the conclusion of the season, Taylor signed a contract extension through 2026. While the details were not disclosed, prior to the extension, Taylor's $3.5 million annual salary was the lowest amongst the 32 head coaches in the NFL.[46]
Taylor's fourth season got off to a rough start as the Bengals started 0–2, but they quickly turned things around and finished atop theAFC North with a 12–4 record.[47] The Bengals did not play 17 games in 2022 due to theDamar Hamlin incident in Week 17; Taylor earned praise for his opposition to resuming the game.[48][49][50]
The Bengals won the AFC North again, marking the first time in franchise history that the team earned division titles in back-to-back seasons.[51] The Bengals defeated theBaltimore Ravens 24–17 in an AFCWild Card Round played at home, then won an AFCDivisional Round playoff game on the road for the second consecutive season with a 27–10 victory over theBuffalo Bills.[52][53] The victory over Buffalo gave Taylor as many postseason victories (five) as all former Bengals head coaches have combined.[54] Cincinnati lost the rematch with theKansas City Chiefs in theAFC Championship Game atArrowhead Stadium by a score of 23–20, ending a 10-game winning streak by the Bengals.[55]
Taylor led the Bengals to a 9–8 record in the 2023 season. The team finished fourth in the AFC North and missed the playoffs.[56]
Taylor led the Bengals to another 9–8 record in 2024. The team finished third in the AFC North but missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.[57]
| Team | Regular season | Postseason | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | |
| CIN | 2019 | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 4th in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CIN | 2020 | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 4th in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CIN | 2021 | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 1st in AFC North | 3 | 1 | .750 | Lost toLos Angeles Rams inSuper Bowl LVI |
| CIN | 2022 | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 1st in AFC North | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost toKansas City Chiefs inAFC Championship Game |
| CIN | 2023 | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4th in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CIN | 2024 | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3rd in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| CIN | 2025 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .300 | TBD in AFC North | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 49 | 58 | 1 | .458 | 5 | 2 | .714 | |||
Taylor has served under four head coaches:
One of Taylor's assistants has been hired as a head coach in the NFL:
In 2008, Taylor married Sarah Sherman, daughter of formerGreen Bay Packers' head coachMike Sherman.[1][11] They have four children: Brooks, Luke, Emma Claire, and Milly.[59]
Taylor has three siblings, includingChicago Bears passing game coordinatorPress Taylor. Their father, Sherwood, was a defensive back and captain forOklahoma under head coachBarry Switzer from 1977 to 1979.[60]