Jan. 20, 2026, 7:00 p.m. ET

One of the hypothetical ways the Cincinnati Bengals could have gone this offseason if they started over with a fresh coaching staff was to roll with a defensive-minded head coach. 

It was a theory with some merit: Get a defensive culture-reset under a new head coach to help repair one of the league’s worst units while pairing Joe Burrow with a new offensive coordinator he really likes. 

It’s something the Tennessee Titans just opted for while finally closing the door on the Brian Callahan era by hiring Robert Saleh:

RELATED:Bengals draft outlook: The last 10 picks at No. 10 overall

We’ll see how it works out in Tennessee after the Zac Taylor understudy Callahan couldn’t make it work with a No. 1 passer of his own. 

Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!

Despite a staggering 10 head-coach openings this offseason, the Bengals instead chose to run it back around the Burrow-led trio with Taylor at head coach. All involved believe that better injury luck and a better cohesion between coaching staff and player personnel department can get things back on track. 

On paper, it could work, of course. But also (again, on paper), it could backfire, and we might be right back to this conversation in one year’s time 

RELATED:Bengals players who regressed the most in 2025