ESPN analyst puts the Bengals and Joe Burrow on notice originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. As the 2026 season kicks off, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is under more pressure than probably any other coach in the NFL. The main reason for this is that the Bengals have spectacularly failed to make a mark in the playoffs for the past three consecutive years. Things are now such that the team leadership should realize that everything is on the line. Bengals star Joe Burrow's future is in tension
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The pressure isn't just on the coach. There are also questions about whether Joe Burrow will remain the Bengals' starting quarterback. According to reports, if the Bengals don't make the playoffs in 2026, Burrow might request a trade, he could decide to leave the team. NFL expert Dan Orlovsky's blunt opinion ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky believes that the new list of players the team has put together clearly shows how much pressure there is. He says that, unlike leaving the Los Angeles Rams, there aren't such high stakes for any other team this season. According to him, "Everything is on the line," including both the coach's job and Burrow's future.
“Everything's on the line: the coach's job security," Orlovsky said. "I think Zach Taylor is a good coach his job's on the line, Joe Burrow's future as the Bengals starting quarterback is on the line.”
“If you are the Bengals and you can't get to 12, 13, 14 wins, then that's going to be a massive disappointment this year, and there will be significant changes,” he added. “I think it's fair to say the expectations realistic ones are higher”
Orlovsky also believes that since the 2021 Super Bowl run, this is Burrow's most 'complete' football team. He is fully confident that the team's offensive unit will perform excellently. Burrow himself has said that since he joined this team, this is his most talented roster – even better than the 2021 team that reached Super Bowl LVI. MORE:Joe Burrow gets Zac Taylor's reaction after hard hit, sack in Bengals preseason game The consequence of the Bengals' failure
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If the team doesn't make it to the postseason this year either, Zac Taylor will have to face harsh criticism. People will question whether Taylor is making the best use of star quarterback Burrow's prime years. In such a scenario, if anything goes wrong, Taylor will be the 'fall guy' who bears all the blame. Even with a trio of top-notch players, the Bengals' window to win a championship is closing very quickly. After a few years of poor performances, the organization now has very little time left. More Cincinnati Bengals News:
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