Zac Taylor Praises Duke Tobin Amid Criticism as Mike Brown Keeps Both in Place

CINCINNATI — Bengals owner Mike Brown announced on Monday that head coach Zac Taylor and Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin will return next season.

Taylor spoke for nearly 30 minutes on Monday afternoon. He discussed a myriad of topics, including Tobin.

What makes the Taylor-Tobin pairing special? Why is Tobin the right person to put together a Super Bowl championship roster together?

"He's got no ego. He's not in it for himself. He's in it to make the Bengals the best we can be," Taylor said. "And there's no ulterior motive there. And he loves this place. He's been here a long time. There's nothing more than Duke wants them to win a Super Bowl and provide a roster that matches that expectation. And so it's easy for me to work with them. It's easy for me to work with the staff. They're good people. They're around, so you get a chance to really know them and grow with them. We've all grown together. Over that whole department, our coaching staff has grown together. And just the easiest thing I can say is about Duke is there's no ego. He just wants what's best for the team. And so there's nothing other than that. So I enjoyed working with him every day. We got a great relationship, and I'm confident that we're on the same page."

The Bengals went 6-11. It's the worst record they've had since 2020. Cincinnati started 2-0 and won two of their final three games, but went 1-8 without star quarterback Joe Burrow.

"We're both frustrated. We didn't meet expectations, and so that's frustrating for both of us," Taylor said. "We certainly share that with each other, and how we can grow, and what we both think are reasons we can grow and things that we've got to be better at. And I think when you've got two like-minded people, you can work through a lot of stuff and get on the same page."

They need to work through a lot this offseason. The Bengals desperately need an infusion of talent if they're going to break through and not just get back to the playoffs, but establish themselves as true Super Bowl contenders.

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