Q&A WITH CINCINNATI BENGALS HEAD COACH ZAC TAYLOR
As you approach this draft, this team was obviously decimated with a lot of injuries. When you look at drafting a lot of times you draft for need, but does depth take on a different perspective this year with the rash of injuries you had? I don't think we ever anticipate having a year like we had last year. You know, losing Trae Waynes and DJ Reader and Joe Mixon and C.J. Uzomah and all those guys, Burrow, so you're never hopeful that that's going to happen and planning for that, so again, we've had a lot of areas of need that we'll address these next couple weeks, and I'm excited to start that process with free agency and the draft, which is 50 days away. So, again, there's a lot of ways that we can help plug some of the holes that we have on both sides of the ball and create some of that depth that you're talking about.
It's a very different team on paper right now than it was when you started two years ago. Just what's your view on that? And what's your reaction to the amount of turnover there has been and maybe could be in the next couple of weeks? I think it's relatively common, really, if you look at rosters over three years, but there is a higher degree of turnover than people realize. Obviously, there's a lot of guys that have been with us for two years now, some one year, but we're really encouraged with the guys that are in this building at the moment. I like being around them all, they got great energy, they've really bought into what we're doing. We'll continue to add those pieces over the next couple of weeks but really encouraged with the direction of the roster.
How enticing is it to add a wide receiver at five? I think there’s a lot of ways we can help our offense and help Joe. You are talking about a guy who came in with no offseason. No preseason games. And really was starting to take off and take full command and ownership of the offense last five games in particular that he was playing. I know the whole team felt the energy with him that he can take us to some really great things. To be able to add things whether that is up front, at receiver or adding guys on defense that keep the point totals down on defense that allow us to do some better things on offense as well you have to take all those options as they come at you with whatever pick it is. The fifth pick, whatever, we have to be flexible as this thing goes. Whatever. Just excited to help our team in any way that we can.
Regardless of what happens in the draft, do you plan on keeping Jonah Williams at left tackle? Yes. I thought he made a lot of improvement in the games that he got to play last year. Again, everybody’s gotta be flexible with what pieces are available to you. You can never say anything is set in stone, but I’m very comfortable with Jonah at left tackle. I think he made some really solid improvements from game to game. And we’re excited about him getting back there at that piece next year.
How much do you look at player fits into your system or Lou’s system entering the third year? You certainly do have to take into account if a guy was playing and productive in a different system how does that translate to what we do on offense. You always want to make sure you have a great vision for how they are going to fit in your schemes. Great players, oftentimes you want to fit things you do around them as well. If you feel they can be productive and you have to be flexible with how you use them. That’s certainly something you weigh, too, but those are conversations we do have every day about free agents, draft picks, guys that we’d be looking to add to our roster. Where they fit, is it the right fit or maybe they are a better fit somewhere else?
In your mind what would be the more ideal situation, all four QBs go 1-4 and you get your pick of everyone else, or having two QBs available when you go on the clock and having your phone ringing off the hook with offers? Either way works well for us. Unfortunately, I don't like how we got there, but we're in a good spot in the draft to make some good decisions on draft day.
Do you think you’ll keep any of your day-to-day habits as an organization after the pandemic? I think the use of Zooms as we’ve all encountered has been helpful because previously you’d see the guy at the combine, you’d see him at his Pro Day, maybe take him to dinner, make a phone call, a couple of phone calls to him. Now you’re face to face talking through video with him during the interviews. Things that we probably had at our disposal before, but we didn’t realize it. Now that you do you can find some information some other ways. Obviously, I don’t think anything’s a substitute for being able to see a guy face to face, talk to him and get a better feel for him personally. Again, the use of Zoom, in terms of interviewing players has been productive for us.
How many pro days will you go to compared to a normal year? You’re only allowed three people at each one, so often times the one I went to, we usually had three, four, five guys. There’s a couple I’ve got penciled in that I’ll go to. We are flexible in that regard week-to-week as well. Things pop up and you want to get on the road. So I’ll go to a couple of them. We’ve got our staff that’s already on the road—our scouts, our coaches. So we’re going to hit as many as we can.
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