Reporting around the Cincinnati Bengals has worked overtime to suggest head coach Zac Taylor is safe through 2026.
But things got a little interesting after the Week 18 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
In the postgame locker room after his team dropped to 6-11, star wideout Ja’Marr Chase got asked an innocent-sounding question about his trust in the current coaching staff.
The question, specifically, from Fox 19’s Joe Danneman: “Does this coaching staff still have your utmost confidence?”
And Chase’s answer: “I am very confident in myself. I’m confident in the plays they call for me to get open.
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Maybe this is nothing. But when the question asks about “utmost confidence” and Chase talks about play-calling, specifically, it’s hard not to notice.
And why else might this be important? Joe Burrow publicly uses every chance he gets to defend the coaching staff in the expected ways. And what he says matches the various reports that Taylor has the support of the locker room, so Bengals ownership won’t make a move at the spot.
But here is Chase, without much in the way of hesitation, leaving just a little wiggle room for doubt.
Maybe this is a hint at something set to happen. Probably not, but there’s no reason to belittle fans who might raise an eyebrow at this whole exchange, either.
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