Bengals Mum on Zac Taylor's Coaching Staff, but Significant Changes are Coming

Zac Taylor will return for a third season

CINCINNATI — Bengals fans across the country are waiting to hear news about Zac Taylor's coaching staff. 

The team announced that they would retain Taylor for the 2021 season on Monday despite a 6-25-1 overall record and a 1-14-1 mark on the road in his first two years with the club. 

Now their attention turns to the rest of the coaching staff, which will look much different next season. 

Our own Elise Jesse was the first to report that the Bengals will not retain offensive line coach Jim Turner, defensive line coach Nick Eason or wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell. 

The team hasn't made those moves official, but they will in the coming days.  

Bengals President Mike Brown meets with each assistant coach at the end of each season to discuss the future. That tradition is expected to continue this year.

The organization is evaluating the entire staff, including defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. 

While some were hoping to hear about changes on Monday—specifically with Anarumo, Brown will still have his meetings with the assistants before a final decision is made. 

Taylor praised his defensive coordinator on Monday. 

"I think he dealt with some tough circumstances in some instances and got a lot out of the guys who were playing," Taylor said when asked about Anarumo. "We've got guys with great character out there who are doing exactly we want them to do. They are fighting their tails off and Lou is a big part of that."

Taylor made it clear that he would be the one making the final decision about his staff, although sources say the Bengals front office already made the call on multiple coaches. 

Taylor doesn't have much leverage. The team is giving him a third season. It's prove it time for the 37-year-old. 

For those expecting huge announcements about the future of the staff, they're coming, but it could take a couple of days. 

The other concern about parting with Anarumo or Callahan would be the appeal of being a coordinator on Taylor's staff. How many assistants want to join a team with a head coach that's entering a prove it year? 

He's 6-25-1 in two seasons. Taylor could be a bad start to the 2021 season away from being fired.

Despite the poor record, he isn't concerned about finding quality assistants.

"There’s plenty of good football coaches that are available in this league," Taylor said. "We’ll find the right fits when we get to that point. Never have any concern about getting the right pieces of the puzzle here."

The Bengals are going to make plenty of moves in the coming days, even if they haven't announced them yet. 

For the latest on the team, go here.