CINCINNATI — The Bengals are choosing the easy way out this offseason after a 6-11 finish to a season in which they missed the playoffs for a third straight year and placed just a game ahead of the Browns in the AFC North. They admitted as much Monday when Mike Brown announced he was bringing back head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin. Taylor even said Monday at his season concluding presser that it’s “easy” working with Tobin and his staff.
The Bengals want no part of change. They feel status quo is the best way to solve the problem of the 2025 Bengals, despite blowing another year with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in their prime.
We’ll find out on Friday why Tobin believes he’s the right man to turn around a sinking ship that hit an iceberg this past season.
On Monday, we heard Zac Taylor explain why he feels Tobin is the right man for the job.
“He’s got no ego. He’s not in it for himself. He’s in it to make the Bengals the best we can be,” Taylor said. “And there’s no ulterior motive there. And he loves this place. He’s been here a long time. There’s nothing more than Duke wants them to win a Super Bowl and provide a roster that matches that expectation. And so it’s easy for me to work with them. It’s easy for me to work with the staff. They’re good people. They’re around, so you get a chance to really know them and grow with them. We’ve all grown together. Over that whole department, our coaching staff has grown together. And just the easiest thing I can say is about Duke is there’s no ego. He just wants what’s best for the team. And so there’s nothing other than that. So I enjoyed working with him every day. We got a great relationship, and I’m confident that we’re on the same page.”
That all may be very true. But does it make him the best man for the job? That’s a question that the Bengals don’t seem willing to ask, at least not publicly as ownership will not address the media. But having Tobin address the media and answer for his department and the failures of the last three non-playoff seasons is a significant step towards accountability.
Taylor says it’s easy to work with the front office. But when working through the complexity of composing a championship-caliber roster, ease isn’t always the best barometer of effectiveness.
“So we’re both frustrated,” Taylor said. “We didn’t meet expectations, and so that’s frustrating for both of us, and we certainly share that with each other, and how we can grow, and what we both think are reasons we can grow and things that we’ve got to be better at. And I think when you’ve got two like-minded people, you can work through a lot of stuff and get on the same page.”
Certainly, it’s convenient when coaching staffs and front office work seamlessly together and the result is a perennial playoff contender. But when they work seamlessly together and the result is what the Bengals have been since 2015 (two playoff appearances and four double-digit loss seasons), then it’s comfort that leads to laziness and stubbornness, closing the door on outside ideas or voices.
Who is pushing back on Taylor and Tobin? Is there anyone in the organization qualified from an expert football perspective to actually provide a counterpoint when the team chose to build a faulty defense in the offseason? The problem with the Bengals has really never been spending money. It’s been spending money on the right players and refusing to bring in more experienced scouts and player personnel staff that can competently evaluate talent.
Taylor, to his credit, said he didn’t need the vote of confidence provided Monday from owner Mike Brown, who said Taylor and Tobin were the right ones to lead the team forward.
“I’m appreciative of that. I think when you’re aligned and you get together like we get together and are on the same page, I don’t need those things said about me, but it’s certainly helpful as we move forward and provides clarity, so again, appreciated that,” Taylor said of Brown’s statement of support. “I didn’t need that. I’ve had plenty of conversations, so I didn’t need it.”
But the fans needed to hear it from the owner. That’s the key point here. Taylor may have felt secure about his job, given he’s signed through 2027, but the fans wanted to know why the coach is still the right guy to lead and why the man presumably making the draft picks is the right guy to run the football personnel department.
“I didn’t need a statement. I’ll just continue my job, but I do appreciate him doing that,” Taylor continued. “I just feel like we’re on a path to really good things next year, and I think everybody that exited this building (this week) feels that, players, coaches, everybody involved with this thing in that this season was a disappointment, it didn’t go the way we wanted. But, I’m already re-energized to get working on 2026 and get back to work.
“It doesn’t mean I won’t take a couple days, but I just feel like the energy of this group and the talent we have and the progress a lot of these guys made, that we’ve got a chance to be back in the conversation of where we belong these last couple years and have fallen short of that, so I’m excited, and I feel the excitement of all our players and coaches to get back to that.”
Ja’Marr Chase met with Taylor on Monday and Joe Burrow will meet later in the week with the head coach. All of this continuity. But continuity can lead to the old saying about insanity, doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. That’s what these Bengals feel like until they prove otherwise.
“This will be as much continuity going into an offseason as we’ve had,” Taylor said. “There’s a role of all of these guys who played for us this year. That doesn’t mean we won’t add in free agency and the draft and make ourselves better. I’m excited about a lot of these guys coming back. This being a bitter feeling as we end the season. I’m excited for the offseason and to get these guys back in April already. They’re probably sick of me right now. I’m excited to get back to work with these guys.”
Continuity is great if it means playoff season after playoff season. But it’s not so great if you’ve been to the postseason twice in seven years.
“You’re gonna get my best every day, whether we’re coming off a Super Bowl appearance or the season we just had,” Taylor insisted in a passioned plea to Bengals fans. “I think our urgency is always a word that we would utilize because I feel like it’s our DNA. Not lackadaisical. We’re not gonna take time off when we should be grinding and get stuff done. So, I think that my feeling doesn’t change. I’m appreciative I have this opportunity. I know how grateful I am to be sitting here and have another opportunity to go make a run and win a division and go back to the playoffs and do all the things that we love to do. That’s why we do this, to elevate a city and a fan base and to make their year. I don’t take that for granted. I know how we’ve left them feeling the last couple years, so there’s nothing more that brings more urgency than for us to go win for ourselves because of the work we put in, to win for our families that have supported us and win for the city that has supported us through thick and thin. I know what it felt like in 2021 and 2022 and we have got to get back to that as quickly as possible so we can all enjoy this ride, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”
Taylor was asked if he feels the need to win fans back.
“I don’t worry about that. ‘Winning makes believers of us all,'” Taylor said, recalling the Paul Brown mantra about attitude in the building. “That makes sense. I can understand how that quote came to be because it’s a true statement. It’s written in our building. We see it every day. But that’s the truth. You go through hard times and there’s disappointment. All of the sudden, you win some games, you’re right back in the thick (of it), and people can’t wait to jump on board. It is great and being here and having passionate fans. It is. I don’t take that for granted. There’s other places you go where it seems like they’re indifferent, maybe, as they’re sitting in the stadium and the game’s going on. Here, you know they’re not indifferent. Here, you know they’re passionate and they have a high expectations and they want us to win and they’re going to support us, and they really want to support a winner. So, we’ve got to give them that and we’re gonna work our tails off to do that.”
Zac Taylor carried himself well on Monday, making the commitment to fans that ownership wanted to hear. Duke Tobin will get his chance on Friday. Will anything really change? We’ll have to wait another year for the true answer.
The Cincinnati Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America Tuesday named Ja’Marr Chase as the Bengals’ Most Valuable Player for the 2025 season. Chase is the fourth wide receiver to win the honor since its inception in 2002, joining T.J. Houshmandzadeh, A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. He received the highest point total of all votes submitted this year, with running back Chase Brown coming in second and cornerback DJ Turner in third.
“Ja’Marr Chase followed up a record-setting triple crown season with another year that proves he is among the elite receivers in the NFL,” said chapter president Mike Petraglia. “Assuming new duties as a team captain and playing eight games without starting quarterback Joe Burrow, Chase constantly was the focus of opposing defenses and established himself as one of the best receivers in franchise history.”
A fifth-year player in 2025, Chase followed up his historic ’24 season with another productive campaign. He led all AFC players in receptions (125) and receiving yards (1412), and was tied for second in the conference in receiving TDs (eight). He became the first player in NFL history to record at least 80 receptions, 1000 receiving yards and seven receiving TDs in each of his first five seasons.
Chase has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his five seasons since the Bengals drafted him with the fifth overall pick in 2021.
Past MVP winners have been QB Jon Kitna (2002-03), HB Rudi Johnson (’04), QB Carson Palmer (’05), OT Willie Anderson (’06), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (’07-08), CBs Leon Hall and Johnathan Joseph (’09), OT Andrew Whitworth (’10), QB Andy Dalton (’11 and ’15), DT Geno Atkins (’12 and ’17), LB Vontaze Burfict (’13), HB Jeremy Hill (’14), WR A.J. Green (’16), HB Joe Mixon (’18), WR Tyler Boyd (’19), S Jessie Bates III (’20), DE Trey Hendrickson (’23) and Burrow (’21, ’22 and ‘24).
The Cincinnati Chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America also named left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. as the recipient of the Bengals’ 2025 Media Cooperation award. Brown is the second offensive lineman to receive the honor in the last four seasons, and the first offensive tackle since Andrew Whitworth in 2015. He also joins the list of players who have won an end-of-season media award for two different teams, as he previously was recognized with the Baltimore Ravens Media Good Guy award in 2019.
“Orlando Brown Jr. has been the epitome of consistency, class and accountability in the locker room equally after wins and losses,” said chapter president Mike Petraglia. “Brown always deals with the media with dignity and respect, answering questions honestly, fully and in a straightforward manner. He demonstrated in his comments to reporters why teammates regard him as a true captain in the locker room.”
Brown received six first-place votes from reporters who cover the team on a weekly basis. HB Chase Brown finished second in voting and C Ted Karras, the 2022 winner, was third. Ten different Bengals players received at least one vote for the award, which is presented annually for professionalism and respect while working with the media throughout the regular season. Since joining the Bengals in 2023, Brown has made substantial effort to speak to reporters on multiple occasions throughout the week, which enabled members of the local media to provide insightful and substantial coverage on the team.
An eighth-year player in 2025, Brown started all 17 games at LOT this season. He contributed to an offense which ranked sixth in the NFL in passing yards per game and 10th in fewest sacks allowed per pass attempt.
Past Media Cooperation winners have been FB Lorenzo Neal (2001), OT Willie Anderson (’02), HB Brandon Bennett (’03), LB Brian Simmons (’04), DT John Thornton (’05), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (’06), DT Bryan Robinson (’07), G Bobbie Williams (’08), QB Carson Palmer (’09), HB Cedric Benson (’10), S Chris Crocker (’11), OT Andrew Whitworth (’12 and ’15), DT Domata Peko (’13), DT Devon Still (’14), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (’16), DE Carlos Dunlap (’17), LB Vincent Rey (’18), QB Andy Dalton (’19), HB Giovani Bernard (’20), TE C.J. Uzomah (’21), C Ted Karras (’22), WR Ja’Marr Chase (’23) and CB Mike Hilton (’24).
Locker room cleanout cleanup:
Cam Taylor-Britt was punished Tuesday for pleading guilty to a reckless driving charge stemming from an incident after the Sept. 14 home opener against Jacksonville. He was stopped and charged with reckless driving in a reported drag racing incident on Joe Nuxhall Way. He was also driving without a license. He appeared in Hamilton County court Tuesday and was remanded to jail for five days and made his way to his cell on his scooter to protect the boot on his left foot. It certainly could provide an unceremonious curtain on his four years in Cincinnati. Taylor-Britt, a free agent this offseason, told reporters Monday that he’d be open to playing anywhere in the secondary next year if he were to return but also acknowledged the benefit a “fresh start” could bring with a new organization.
Everyone on the Cincinnati offensive line and Joe Burrow have voiced their support to bring the 30-year-old veteran back next year. He signed a one-year, $1.3 million deal just before the season, despite the obvious need for veteran depth at the guard position heading into the year. After Lucas Patrick went down injured and Jalen Rivers struggled with consistency and eventually was injured himself, Risner stepped in and was a huge factor in stabilizing the line, helping to forge the line into what Burrow termed was the best line he’s played in front of in his six years in Cincinnati. Risner started nine of 11 games at right guard – including the last seven – and his other two at left guard filling in for Dylan Fairchild.
“This is exactly what I want to do,” Risner said. “This is where I want to be. Unfortunately, I feel like there’s a business aspect to it. But at the end of the day, I love this coaching staff. My offensive line coach, Scott Peters, Mike McCarthy. I want to play next to Amarius Mims and Ted Karras, because who wouldn’t? I want to play for Zac Taylor. I want to play for Dan Pitcher. I want to I want to play for this organization. I want to be a Cincinnati Bengal. I want to block for Joe Burrow. I want to block for Chase Brown. I want to block for Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. I mean, I could go on and on and on with the list of guys in this locker room, of why I want to be here, the fit, how I play, how I think I can help this team win, the continuity that I had with this offensive line, and how we continue to build all year. Yeah, this is exactly where I want to be. But at the same time, I said it earlier, earlier this week, and I said it last week, I feel like it’s got to be a mutual thing, where we come together and do it so I know where I stand, and I hope that we can get, you know, the Bengals, to want the same thing.”
“I mean, I’ve enjoyed my experience with him,” Taylor said. “I think he did a great job for us. I loved his presence in the locker room. I loved his presence in the online room. I liked my interactions with him. He’s helped me. I think he’s straight to the point, I appreciate that about him. He’s a big guy at heart, and so I think that’s where this team’s from, a guy from that region. So I can appreciate that.”
