Bengals Beat: Mike Brown Brings Back Duke Tobin, Zac Taylor For Another Year in 2026 ‘Right Leaders to Guide Us Forward’

CINCINNATI — It wasn’t the firing of Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland, Pete Carroll in Las Vegas, or Jonathan Gannon in Arizona or the firing of both head coach Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot in Atlanta. But Tuesday’s announcement by Bengals president and owner Mike Brown that head coach Zac Taylor and Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin will return in 2026 was newsworthy and noteworthy on several fronts.

First, Brown believes in his heart that the two have done enough to show that they can work together to put a team together that will return to the level of 2021 and ’22 and rise above three straight non-playoff seasons.

Second, the Bengals rarely address their failures and losses in a statement after the season. But with mounting pressure from an angry fan base and the optics of other teams around the league quickly addressing their shortcomings, the Bengals felt it time to acknowledge.

Third, Duke Tobin has never spoken about his personnel department and the need to make substantial improvements. That will change this Friday with a press conference to discuss just that and why – in his own words – the Brown and Blackburn family have placed confidence in his methods to fix a roster that has been woefully inadequate on the defensive side of the ball.

“We came into the season with high expectations, coming off four straight winning seasons with leaders in place that took us to a Super Bowl and two AFC Championship games,” Brown said Monday in a team statement. “We know this season has been frustrating and disappointing. The results fell short of our standards, and missing the playoffs again proves there is more work to do.

“Our focus is on building a team that can consistently compete at the highest level, with the goal of winning championships. After thoughtful consideration, I am confident that Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor are the right leaders to guide us forward. They have proven they can build and lead teams that compete for championships. We trust their plans and expect to return to our desired level of success.”

Brown even alluded to changes the team might make in football operations to improve its efficiency in finding young players in their first or second seasons who can come in and produce, something again the team has failed at miserably in the last five seasons with Burrow as the quarterback.

“We are taking a hard look at everything we do as we approach this offseason with focused determination to build a championship-caliber roster that wins consistently,” Brown added. “We are fully committed to delivering results that match the pride, passion and expectations of this organization and our fans.”

Will that mean a general manager, larger scouting department, a spending spree in free agency on a desperately thin and young defense, or any or all of the above?

Time will tell as words are just words. But Monday was a start.