Over the previous four seasons, the Cincinnati Bengals offense has depended nearly entirely on talent, with seven of the team’s 11 starters selected in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft. While the personnel on this offense is outstanding, the play calling has left something to be desired over the last few seasons, as the squad has failed in key critical areas under head coach Zac Taylor. The loss of some prominent components of the offense, notably offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, may result in significant adjustments to the offense in 2024.
Zac Taylor May Change Bengals’ Play Calling Strategy in 2024
Until now, one of the Cincinnati offense’s most distinguishing features has been
aylor’s democratic approach to play calling. Until now, the offensive coaching staff, which includes Taylor, Callahan, quarterbacks coach turned offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, and the rest of the offensive coaching staff, has kept an open communication channel during games and simply throws out ideas like a bunch of college kids playing an online Madden game. While that may be a good tactic for making the staff feel appreciated, it hasn’t helped this top offense get into a groove.
The Cincinnati attack has placed 13th (2021), 8th (2022), and 22nd (2023) in total offensive yardage, despite having talented players. For a club with as much offensive skill as Cincinnati, failing to rank in the top five in offensive output should be inexcusable. Since there is essentially no method to improve offensive talent, the only option is coaching, specifically playcalling.
The news was first broken by legendary Cincinnati broadcaster and former Bengals guard David Lapham on the WLW radio show.
“I heard that Zac Taylor was considering giving up the play calling role to Brian Callahan next season,” Lapham told Lance McAlister on 700 WLW. “That changed once Brian Callahan moved on. It is done through democracy, not dictatorship. “Everybody has a voice, and everyone has a loud voice,” Lapham continued. “If you show that your voice merits it, you’re gonna get a bigger voice and that’s what happened with Dan Pitcher.”
According to Lapham, Taylor may be taking a more active part in play calling now that he is working with a first-time offensive coordinator in Pitcher. In actuality, either of them is more than qualified to assume the reins, but the crowd sourcing approach lacks consistency and inconsistent strategies. If Cincinnati wants to make another deep run into the playoffs and finally become the league’s most explosive offensive, they’ll need to outsource playcalling to a single person in order to maintain consistency.
