Bengals' Zac Taylor Ranked Among NFL's Five Worst Head Coaches During 2026 Offseason

It's rankings season in the NFL as we enter one of the quietest points of the offseason for most franchises. The NFL Daily podcast took a stab at ranking all 32 NFL head coaches last week and Zac Taylor's struggles over the past few seasons left him near the basement.

NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal ranked Taylor 28th overall among a three-person run-through with Jordan Rodrigue and Ollie Connolly.

Taylor's team went 6-11 last season and has missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, but he's shown he can win at a high level when the front office gives him any defense with a pulse to help aid a usually strong offense.

When Joe Burrow's on the field, the Bengals have won at an above-average level in the past three years, but it's still not good enough (19-16), while being 24-27 overall in that span.

It led Taylor to get ranked below first-time head coaches like Baltimore's Jesse Minter (15th) and Buffalo's Joe Brady (27th). That seems a little far-fetched to say the least. Neither has proven a thing at the NFL head-coaching level, while Taylor's led trips to two AFC Championship games and one AFC title.

Put It On The Board

Dec 18, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor reacts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

It's more bulletin-board material for a Bengals team that's spending to the cap this offseason and making a big push to field the best team of the Burrow and Taylor era.

"I really couldn't be happier. From a talent standpoint, we're in a really good place," Taylor said after the 2026 NFL Draft. "From a leadership standpoint, we're in a really good place. Now you have to actually go do the work. It's fun to talk about this stuff in the offseason. This is where we are up to this point. There's no work we could have done in the field or from a chemistry standpoint. Now it's up to the players and the coaches to put it all together, so that's going to require a lot of work on the field, in the locker room, off the field, but I'm excited about the group we're going to go do it with.

"Players, coaches, personnel, ownership — very united right now. So now, we have to go do the work. The coaches have to do a great job putting these guys in the right spots, getting the most out of them, and the players have to go to work. They've got to work to build the chemistry with a lot of new players we brought in, bring the rookies up to speed, and go get it done on the field. I'm confident that this is a group that's really hungry to do that."

Check out the full list below:

Sean McVay
Andy Reid
Mike Macdonald
Kyle Shanahan
Ben Johnson
Jim Harbaugh
Dan Campbell
Sean Payton
Matt LaFleur
DeMeco Ryans
Kevin O'Connell
Mike Vrabel
Liam Coen
Brian Schottenheimer
Jesse Minter
John Harbaugh
Shane Steichen
Nick Sirianni
Mike McCarthy
Todd Bowles
Kellen Moore
Dan Quinn
Dave Canales
Kevin Stefanski
Robert Saleh
Todd Monken
Joe Brady
Zac Taylor
Klint Kubiak
Jeff Hafley
Mike LaFleur
Aaron Glenn

Jim Harbaugh, Brian Schottenheimer and Kellen Moore went earlier than I expected but I don’t hate the picks: pic.twitter.com/e9Ci6NIAMG
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) May 11, 2026

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