Bengals Mailbag: Zac Taylor's Culture, A.J. Green's Trade Value and Stretching the Field
CINCINNATI — It's been a while since we've done a mailbag and this week feels like the perfect time. There are plenty of questions about the Bengals' performance and their future.
They enter Sunday's matchup against the Colts with a 1-3-1 record. I thought they would be 2-3 at this point in the season.
We're going to be doing these mailbags throughout the year. Feel free to post your questions in the community tab at AllBengals.com or leave a comment on a story. You can also tweet me your questions. If I don't get to them on here, I could answer them on the Locked on Bengals podcast.
Let's get to the mailbag.
Whitney, thank you for the question. It's fair to wonder about Zac Taylor's ability to command the room due to his lack of experience, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
Veterans like DJ Reader, Vonn Bell and others have praised Taylor for his coaching style and the culture he's building. These guys came from winning organizations.
This team didn't quit on Taylor last year, which is a good sign.
As far as coaching some of the veteran stars like A.J. Green, Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins—it's a delicate balance. I asked the second-year coach about that very subject on Monday.
"I wouldn't say it's tough to balance," Taylor said. "That's important for any football team to have that blend of experience and young guys that are talented that can learn from some of the older guys who have been around and can still play at a high level and have a lot to give to those younger players. I think that's what's important about the veterans we have in this building, is they're willing to share that. They're willing to help bring those guys along up front. They're not selfish in that hey, this guy's competing at my position. It's more of a 'what can I do to help this player come along quickly and help the team?' That's one thing I've been really appreciative of with just the guys that we've got in that locker room that you would call veterans."
Dunlap’s frustration with the communication between him and the coaches is worth monitoring moving forward.
There's always going to be friction as players get older and start to enter a different phase of their respective careers. Taylor hasn't lost the locker room. They're still fighting and playing hard.
Will that be the case if they're 1-7-1? You, Taylor and the rest of Cincinnati hope we never find out.
It's been a tough stretch. There's no doubt about it. The Bengals have only gone 2-14 twice in franchise history (2002, 2019). Even with injuries, they have to show growth this season. Taylor knows he can't go 2-13-1 and expect to be head coach of the Bengals next season.
The key to this season is finding out what works. Is Taylor the coach that is going to maximize Joe Burrow's talents? If the answer isn't "yes" by the end of the year, then the organization needs to seriously consider moving on, regardless of Taylor's record.
We don't have the answer to that question yet. Taylor has done some good things. Burrow likes him. This team could very easily be 3-2 right now.
Taylor needs to show everyone that he's the guy for Burrow. The same way Sean McVay made it clear that he was going to get the most out of Jared Goff.
Record matters and they can't finish with two wins again, but this is about maximizing your young star quarterback. The Bengals need to do that while he's still on his rookie contract. The clock is already ticking ...
I had extremely high expectations for Green entering this season. I thought he could be the Reggie Wayne to Burrow's Andrew Luck. That clearly hasn't been the case.
The seven-time Pro Bowler has 14 receptions for 119 yards in five games. He re-aggravated a left hamstring injury in Baltimore, but he appears to be on track to play against the Colts.
Green is set to make $12.1 million over the next 11 games. A team like New England or Philadelphia could and likely will inquire about him, but they aren't giving up a day two draft pick for the 32-year-old.
If the Bengals trade Green, they may get a conditional fourth-round pick based on playing time and production, but that's probably wishful thinking.
Expecting a fifth or sixth-rounder in return is much more likely. It would be later in the round too, assuming a playoff contender trades for him.
The Bengals need to ask themselves if it's worth having Green on the roster for the final 11 games in hopes of him showing flashes of his old self or if it's better to just move on and get a day three draft pick in return.
Knowing them, they'll stick it out and see if Green can be anything close to what he was for the first seven years of his NFL career.
The Bengals have to get better in the trenches. You know it, I know it and the rest of the NFL knows it. The answers aren't in-house, even if that's what the coaching staff says publicly.
"If they’re in this building right now, we think they’re the answer," offensive line coach Jim Turner said last month.
It's Turner's job to defend his guys, but the Bengals need to aggressively address their biggest weakness this offseason. The good news is we saw them attack what they thought was their biggest weakness last offseason.
They signed eight unrestricted free agents. They wanted to become a better tackling team so they added savvy veterans that could help them on defense.
It hasn't worked out like they hoped. Trey Waynes and DJ Reader are both injured, but the point remains the same—they aggressively addressed their biggest need.
This organization needs to do the same thing in March and April. They have to spend big money addressing the offensive line. It isn't just one position. They've had the worst guard play in the league through five games. Bobby Hart should not be a starting right tackle in the NFL.
Jonah Williams looks the part and Trey Hopkins is steady. The other three spots need to be addressed this offseason—both in the draft and free agency.
It doesn't need to take a few years to fix the offensive line. They can be solid in 2021, but it's up to the Bengals organization to aggressively address their biggest weakness.
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There aren't many free agent options available, but the Bengals should sign veteran right guard Josh Kline. He's a Cincinnati-native and someone that would bring instant stability to the interior of the offensive line. I made my case for Kline here.
Both Logan Wilson and Akeem Davis-Gaither have flashed their potential over the past few weeks. It's clear that they're faster and more athletic than the linebackers that the Bengals have trotted out there for years.
Both guys got plenty of snaps in college, which helped prepare them for a role in the NFL right away. The coaches are pleased with their development. Expect them to get even more playing time as the season progresses.
Their improvement is crucial, especially after Reader's injury. These linebackers are going to face more offensive linemen than they did in the first five games. Reader was great at taking on one or two blocks and still making a play on the ball-carrier.
Great question, Chad. There isn't one clear cut answer. Unfortunately for the Bengals, there are a bunch of reasons why they haven't been able to hit on many explosive plays down the field.
The offensive line is a big one. The Bengals have three glaring weaknesses in the trenches. That limits them on offense.
They also don't have any speed on the field.
Green has been a shell of himself through five games. Tee Higgins is off to a fine start, but he hasn't come down with any of the 50/50 balls that he did at Clemson. Auden Tate is never going to be a deep threat and Tyler Boyd is great, but he's not going to stretch the field.
This team needs John Ross to be that guy. He wasn't during the first two games of the season, but they need to activate him on Sunday. He's inconsistent, but he adds an element that no one else on the team has and defenses have to prepare for—speed.
Even if the offensive line struggles, adding Ross will change the way defenses treat the Bengals. Opposing teams won't be able to dare them to beat them over the top because they'll have a guy that is capable of doing just that.
Taylor also deserves some of the blame. He's called deep shots, but he clearly hasn't pressed the right buttons. He has to find a way to get this offense going.
“When those opportunities come we gotta take advantage of them," Taylor said earlier this week. "We’re more than capable of that. We’ve been inches off. Just a quick play off on some of that stuff down the field. Sometimes it’s going to come in the form of a catch and run. There’s some opportunities there as well. Again, I don’t care what it looks like we need to continue to find ways to generate explosive plays.”
Being creative on offense and moving Burrow around to make sure he'll have to to deliver a good throw are two things Taylor can do to help. The receivers need to get open and adding Ross to the mix will help their cause.
Burrow is going to have all day to throw like Patrick Mahomes, but that doesn't mean this offense can't create explosive plays.
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