Williams: Cincinnati Bengals don't change. It's why Taylor isn't getting fired

Ask columnist Jason Williams anything − sports or non-sports – and he’ll pick some of your questions and respond on Cincinnati.com. Email: jwilliams@enquirer.com

Subject: Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor on hot seat?

Message : Zac Taylor is getting hammered for the play-calling in overtime and a lot of fans want him fired. Do you think he’s on the hot seat?

Reply : Most teams would’ve fired Zac Taylor after a start like this. But this is yet another reminder: The Bengals don’t do things like most teams.

They don’t make trades.

They play hardball in every contract negotiation, which they conduct on their timeline and not anyone else’s.

They refuse to build their own practice complex away from the stadium.

They refused to hire more scouts to try to do better in the draft.

And they hate paying people not to work for them. That goes for cutting under-performing players they owe a lot of money to. That goes for firing coaches with multiple years left on their contracts.

I’ve had to remind readers and friends about the way the Bengals operate lately. That two-year run to the Super Bowl and back to the AFC Championship game didn’t mean the Bengals had suddenly changed how they do business. Reminder: That success is because they failed so much they had no choice but to draft Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.

Now that we’ve had a quick history lesson, Taylor is not on the hot seat – nor should he be. He’s under contract through the 2026 season. If the Bengals go on to have a disastrous season, they likely give Taylor at least 2025 to turn things around. If 2025 is a disaster, maybe – maybe – the Bengals would fire Taylor. The Bengals did part ways with Marvin Lewis after the 2018 season with one year still left on his contract.

Calling for Taylor to be fired is an irrational, knee-jerk reaction. For goodness sake, Taylor took this team to its glory days in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He did a hell of a job last season getting the Bengals to finish 9-7 and on the brink of making the playoffs after losing Burrow to injury in mid-November. Taylor is an offensive guy, and the Bengals rank fourth in the NFL in points.

Taylor is certainly not perfect. The Bengals have never been ready to play to start the season during his tenure – evidenced by a 1-10 record in Weeks 1-2 under Taylor – and preparation is definitely on him. Taylor's play-calling in crunch time and in goal-line situations is head-scratching at times.

But the Bengals are losing because they can't stop anyone. And this awful defense isn't really on Taylor – or Lou Anarumo, one of the best defensive coordinators in the league. The Bengals' front office put a bunch of mostly subpar defensive players on the roster, and the coaches can only do so much.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Williams: Cincinnati Bengals don't change. It's why Taylor isn't getting fired