Zac Taylor already has an advantage over almost every head coach the Bengals will face during 2026 season

Bengals’ 2026 schedule will give Zac Taylor a chance to prove his experience matters.

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Dec 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor looks on during the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
© Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

One of the busiest NFL hiring cycles has just concluded with the Las Vegas Raiders hiring former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak as their new head coach.

Kubiak is one of 10 new hires made around the league, and while the Cincinnati Bengals will not face his Raiders next season, they will end up playing against most of the 10 newly-hired coaches.

Over half the Bengals’ 2026 schedule is against new coaching hires

Thanks to the rest of the AFC North all changing coaches and three additional opponents on the docket, nine of Cincinnati’s 17 regular season games will be played against coaches working their first year on the job. Five will be away from Cincinnati, and the other four will be at Paycor Stadium.

McCarthy, Saleh, and Stefanski aren’t first-time coaches like Hafley, Minter and Monken, but they will be getting used to their new teams throughout 2026. Half of the list is defensive-focused (Hafley, Minter, and Saleh) and the other half will be calling plays for the offense (McCarthy, Monken, and Stefanski).

Any team starting over at the coaching level recognizes changes are needed to overcome or remedy its faults. You would associate them as subpar clubs more times than not, and therefore, and advantage in the game should be found.

The Bengals should have a good chance at beating every team with a new coach because their own coach has been on the job for longer than most of the NFL.

Bengals are trusting in the experience Zac Taylor has accrued

Cincinnati HC Zac Taylor is entering his eighth year in the Queen City. John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott being fired along with Mike Tomlin stepping down elevated Taylor into the top five longest current tenures as a franchise’s coach. Only Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs, Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams, Kyle Shananhan of the San Francisco 49ers, and Matt LaFluer of the Green Bay Packers have coached longer or just as long with their current teams.

Only one of those coaches is set to go up against Taylor in 2026. Reid’s Chiefs will be making the trip back to the banks of the Ohio River at some point next season.

The purpose of keeping Taylor this year was to bank on continuity. Not having to change schemes and completely rework parts of the roster that are already great or passable is an advantage in the eyes of the Bengals. Reid is the only one with more experience at his current position, and Taylor is 3-3 against him as a HC.

The dominoes have all fallen, and Cincinnati now knows who it’s up against next season. Capitalizing on the coaching experience upper hand the Bengals will be working with will be critical in getting back to the playoffs for the first time since 2022.

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