Zac Taylor: The Bengals always planned on being aggressive in free agency

Zac Taylor says the Bengals always planned on being aggressive in free agency

The Bengals’ aggressiveness in free agency caught many people by surprise, but Zac Taylor wasn’t one of them.

The second-year head coach says his views have always aligned with the front office, dating back to last offseason when he interviewed for the job.

“We’ve been on the same page every step of the way since the interview process, to my first day on the job.” Taylor said on Wednesday. “How do we acquire the best players that we can and go get them? There’s not been a day I’ve been in this building where I’ve been frustrated in that regard.”

The Bengals officially announced all eight of their free agent signings on Wednesday. The contracts are complete, but each player needs to complete a physical with the team doctor, which hasn’t happened due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Bengals committed nearly $150 million to the eight players they signed in free agency.

“Everybody’s been on the same page,” Taylor said. “We all want to win and we all want to do whatever we got to do to make sure that works. It’s been a great process.”

The Bengals signed five defensive starters. Four of them are 27-years-old or younger. The organization believes Trae Waynes, D.J. Reader and Vonn Bell can be building blocks moving forward. Each one is under contract for at least three more seasons. 

No one envisioned the Bengals making multiple splashes in free agency, except Taylor and the rest of the organization. 

“These players are excited to come to Cincinnati and recognize we’re on the verge of something special, but we still have a lot of hard work in front of us.”