Ben BabyOct 6, 2025, 06:47 PM ET
- Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
CINCINNATI -- Bengals coach Zac Taylor isn't relinquishing one of the team's most important duties.
Taylor confirmed Monday that he will retain his role as the team's offensive playcaller after the Bengals suffered their third straight loss, a 37-24 home defeat to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Cincinnati mustered just 3 points through the first three quarters for the third consecutive week. That prompted Taylor to take responsibility for his share of the team's struggles.
Taylor said he will continue in the dual capacity he has held since taking over as the team's head coach in 2019.
"I feel very comfortable," Taylor said. "It's a fair question. We score 3 points in three games in the first half. I totally understand that. But right now, it's going to remain the same."
Cincinnati has been without starting quarterback Joe Burrow since he suffered a turf toe injury in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jake Browning has started the last three games that have coincided with the team's worst offensive rut in Taylor's seven-year tenure. At one point in Sunday's loss to Detroit, the team trailed 28-3 before eventually scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns to make the game a bit more competitive.
Taylor said that in his role as the playcaller, he relies on others throughout the offense for gathering input in how the unit operates.
"I rely on them as much as I think any playcaller in the league relies on anybody else," Taylor said.
It is common for head coaches around the league to hold both roles for a team. But recently, there has been precedent for those titles being split. Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan, who was Taylor's offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2023, recently surrendered his playcalling duties to another staff member amid his team's poor start to the season. The Titans won their first game of the season on Sunday, a 22-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Through five games, Cincinnati (2-3) ranks near the bottom of every major statistical category. The Bengals are 30th in points per drive (1.52), 31st in yards per play (4.3) and a tie for 28th in offensive points per game (17).
"Finding more opportunities for our playmakers to get the ball and finding ways to get them easy touches that they can lead to productivity in our offense," Taylor said when asked about ways he can improve as a playcaller. "We haven't been productive enough. I don't worry about statistics right now. I care about wins."
While that aspect of Cincinnati's offense is cemented, the situation at quarterback remains uncertain heading into Sunday's game at Green Bay (2-1-1). When asked if Browning will start this weekend, Taylor said that will be evaluated in the days leading up to Wednesday, the team's first practice of the week.
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said he had a long conversation with Browning on Monday after the quarterback threw three interceptions against the Lions, giving him a total of eight on the season.
"You want to see him have success," Pitcher said. "All at the same time, it's a results-based deal, and you know the play has got to be better. He knows that, and you just try to help him through it."
But Pitcher added that the offensive woes extend beyond Browning, too.
"We've got to be ready to play our best football," Pitcher said. "We, collectively, have not come close to doing that."
