Zac Taylor A former Nebraska quarterback is seemingly on the cusp of becoming a head coach in the NFL. Zac Taylor is the top choice to be the new coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, according to ESPN reporters Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. Nothing official has been stated by the Bengals, though there are multiple outlets who believe Taylor is the team's choice "He has not been informed he’s the guy and no negotiations have taken place. But signs point to him," NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported on Twitter. "The Bengals are steadfast in not taking away from any playoff preparation, and as one source said, the hope is their next coach walks in with a Super Bowl ring. But they won’t make any moves for a hire until that team is out of the playoffs." The 35-year-old can't technically negotiate a contract yet until the playoffs come to an end for the Los Angeles Rams, where Taylor serves as the team's quarterbacks coach. Taylor's background connected to Rams head coach Sean McVay is one thing in his favor. He also is familiar with the city of Cincinnati, having served as the offensive coordinator for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats in 2016. Taylor's NFL coaching career began in 2012, when he served as the QBs coach of Ryan Tannehill. His work this season with Rams quarterback Jared Goff also makes him a popular choice in a offseason where most teams are looking for a young, innovative offensive mind to lead their franchise. The Rams host the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs on Saturday night, with the winner advancing to the NFC Championship. Even though Taylor was a quarterback at Nebraska during the less than popular Bill Callahan years, he gained fandom for his toughness and calm demeanor after transferring to NU for the 2005-06 seasons, leading the team to a division title his senior year in 2006. He threw for 2,653 yards as a junior, then took the next step in his final season in Lincoln, throwing for 3,197 yards and posting a QB rating of 146.1, with 26 touchdown passes to just 8 interceptions. His performance earned him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors. Growing up in Norman, Oklahoma, Taylor was connected to football from since he was a toddler. His father, Sherwood, played at Oklahoma for Barry Switzer's teams. And the football games in the neighborhood were said to be epic. Even Zac's wife, Sarah Sherman, who was a college student who was part of the NU media relations staff when Taylor was playing in Lincoln, was connected to the game. She is the daughter of former college and NFL coach Mike Sherman. But Taylor's shrewdest move may have been two years ago when he first agreed to join McVay's staff as an assistant wide receivers coach. McVay told Taylor he was over qualified for that position, but Taylor seemed to know McVay was about to be a shining star. And McVay may have sensed the same in Taylor. “We really didn’t know each other personally,” McVay told SI.com. “I knew of him because I’m a fan of coaching. I remembered him playing at Nebraska. And when he got into coaching, I just remember being impressed with the way he handled himself in 2012 on Hard Knocks, funny as that is. He was a younger coach, and just the way he communicated with the quarterbacks, you could tell he was authentic and genuine.”<doc-sep>The rumor mill keeps spinning in Cincinnati, as the staff overhaul of 2019 is beginning to take shape. Reports say that the head coaching job will be heading to current Rams assistant, Zac Taylor, and he has some preferences to round out the staff. Throughout the week, the team has been shedding assistant coaches from the Marvin Lewis era, leaving a handful of openings. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was given his walking papers at the end of this week, and Taylor reportedly has a successor in mind. Coordinator hires are big for young head coaches, and it looks like Bengals front-runner (coach elect?) Zac Taylor is looking at experienced ones. I'm told ex-Seahawks OC Darrell Bevell is high on his list. — Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 12, 2019 Darrell Bevell was unemployed this past season, but was the offensive coordinator for two different NFL teams from 2006-2017. He started off in Minnesota, where he spearheaded the fantastic 2009 season by the Vikings and Brett Favre. He then latched on to the Seahawks with Pete Carroll in 2011. He was credited for molding Russell Wilson into a top-caliber NFL quarterback, as well as for scouting him more than others and lauding his abilities to the Seahawks’ front office. The Carroll-Bevell-Wilson triad teamed up for a decisive win in Super Bowl XLVIII and another near-win against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX. Bevell and Carroll received a lot of heat after that particular loss because of the infamous play-call on New England’s one-yard line at the end of the contest. Even so, Bevell is a guy who has been known to made stars out of low-round draft picks and those who are deemed to have lower NFL measurables. Wilson is the shining beacon, while receivers like Doug Baldwin, Ricardo Lockette, Jaron Brown and others became viable threats in the team’s offense in recent years. We’ll see if this hire materializes, but it would make for an interesting combination. And, as we’ve discussed a bit so far, this will also have major implications at the quarterback position for the Bengals going forward.<doc-sep>Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor is the Cincinnati Bengals' top choice to be their next head coach, league sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen. The Bengals would like to hire Taylor, 35, after Los Angeles' season ends, sources said. Because the Rams are still in playoffs, they can't negotiate a contract. Taylor was the offensive coordinator for the University of Cincinnati in 2016, and sources said he would like to return to the city. Taylor would replace Marvin Lewis, who parted ways with the Bengals after the season, ending a 16-year tenure. A former star quarterback at Nebraska, Taylor began his NFL coaching career with the Miami Dolphins as a quarterbacks coach in 2012, helping to develop Ryan Tannehill, and took over offensive-coordinator duties during the 2015 season. After spending a year with the Bearcats, Taylor returned to the NFL with the Rams under Sean McVay, for whom he served as assistant wide-receivers coach in 2017 before shifting to quarterbacks this season. With Taylor overseeing Jared Goff, the Rams went 13-3 and ranked fifth in the NFL this season with 282 passing yards per game.<doc-sep>
Ron Schwane/Associated Press Hue Jackson's time with the Cincinnati Bengals is reportedly coming to an end. Elise Jesse of WLWT Cincinnati cited a source who said Jackson—who the team hired as an assistant in 2018 after he was fired by the Cleveland Browns—will not return under the new head coach. This comes after Jesse had previously reported the Bengals plan on making Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor their next head coach after the Rams are finished in the playoffs. Cincinnati is undergoing a coaching staff overhaul this offseason after firing Marvin Lewis, who was the head coach since the 2003 campaign. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Thursday that linebackers coach Jim Haslett, tight ends coach Jonathan Hayes and running backs coach Kyle Caskey would not return either. Jackson was the Bengals offensive coordinator in 2014 and 2015 before becoming head coach of the Browns. He is friends with Lewis, and the latter advocated on his behalf after the 2018 campaign. "I think he's more than qualified," Lewis said, per Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. "I think he's been in a couple of difficult situations [in Oakland and Cleveland], and that's tough, and it hasn't broke his way. But I think he's an excellent football coach, he's a great motivator. So I think he deserves an opportunity, if not here, somewhere else." It appears as if Jackson, who was 3-36-1 as the head coach of the Browns, will not be on Taylor's staff if the Rams quarterbacks coach is ultimately given the job. Video Play Button Videos you might like Taylor joined Sean McVay's staff in Los Angeles as a wide receivers coach for 2017 and moved into the quarterback coach position this year. The Rams won the NFC West for the second straight season and finished fifth in the league in passing yards. He was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2016 and part of the Miami Dolphins staff from 2012 through 2015. He was Miami's interim offensive coordinator in 2015.