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| Zac Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Name | Zac Taylor |
| Birth date | 10 May 1983 |
| Birth place | Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Occupation | American football coach, former quarterback |
| Employer | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Alma mater | University of Nebraska–Lincoln |
Zac Taylor is an American football coach and former collegiate and professional quarterback who has served as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League since 2019. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, he played quarterback at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and briefly in Arena Football League and international leagues before beginning a coaching career that included assistant roles with the Miami Dolphins, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, St. Louis Rams, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Rams prior to his Bengals appointment.
Taylor was born in Lincoln, Nebraska and attended Lincoln Southwest High School, where he played high school football and baseball alongside future athletes from Nebraska Cornhuskers football and Big 12 Conference programs. He enrolled at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and played quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football under coaches from the Big 12 Conference and later the Big Ten Conference, competing against teams such as the University of Oklahoma and University of Colorado Boulder. After college, Taylor pursued professional opportunities, spending time in the Arena Football League and training camps with teams associated with the National Football League and developmental leagues in Europe, briefly joining rosters and practice squads linked to organizations like the Jacksonville Jaguars and international franchises touring with exhibition games.
Taylor transitioned to coaching with a graduate assistantship at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, working for staff tied to the Big Ten Conference and collaborating with position coaches from programs like University of Wisconsin–Madison and Iowa Hawkeyes football. He entered the National Football League coaching ranks as an assistant with the Miami Dolphins under head coaches connected to the American Football Conference coaching tree, later joining the St. Louis Rams and staff members associated with the Los Angeles Rams organization. Taylor served as quarterbacks coach and offensive assistant with the Buffalo Bills, working alongside offensive coordinators who had previously coached for the New York Jets and New England Patriots. In 2017 he was hired by the Los Angeles Rams as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator under head coach Sean McVay, collaborating with personnel who had connections to the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.
Taylor was hired as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019, replacing former head coach Marvin Lewis and inheriting a roster featuring players from the AFC North such as veterans who had competed against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. His early seasons included rebuilding moves, draft selections of players from College Football Playoff participants and trades with teams like the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Under Taylor the Bengals drafted and developed a starting quarterback who led the team through playoff runs against franchises including the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans, culminating in an AFC Championship Game appearance and a berth in Super Bowl LVI where they faced the Los Angeles Rams. Taylor's tenure featured roster management involving free agency signings from organizations such as the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears, contract negotiations overseen with general managers linked to the NFL Players Association processes, and coaching staff hires with prior experience at programs like the University of Alabama and Ohio State University.
Taylor's approach blends elements learned working under Sean McVay, incorporating play concepts seen in offenses from the Los Angeles Rams and schematic principles used by coordinators from the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. His offensive game-planning emphasizes timing routes, pre-snap motion, and tempo adjustments resembling schemes employed by the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, while his quarterback development draws on techniques taught in Big Ten Conference programs and NFL quarterback rooms associated with the Buffalo Bills. Defensively, his staff hires have included coaches with experience against pass-heavy teams like the Green Bay Packers and run-oriented clubs like the Cleveland Browns, creating a complementary balance similar to staff constructions at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens.
Taylor is married to Julie Taylor, and the couple has children; their family life has connections to the Lincoln, Nebraska community and charitable activities often involving partnerships with local chapters of organizations such as the United Way and sports-affiliated foundations. He maintains relationships with former teammates and coaches from institutions like the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, and he participates in media appearances on networks that cover the National Football League and college football, often joining analysts who previously played for teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
As a collegiate quarterback for the Nebraska Cornhuskers football, Taylor's passing attempts, completions, yards, and touchdowns were recorded in NCAA statistics kept alongside leaders from conferences such as the Big 12 Conference and Big Ten Conference. His professional playing statistics in developmental leagues and short stints with Arena Football League teams are archived with organizations that track player performance alongside former players from the National Football League and international leagues. As a head coach, Taylor's regular-season and postseason win–loss records, playoff appearances, and milestone achievements are documented in NFL historical records and team archives maintained by the Cincinnati Bengals and the league office.
Category:Living people Category:1983 births Category:National Football League head coaches Category:Cincinnati Bengals coaches Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football coaches