Zac Taylor Updates Bengals Offseason Linebacker Plan During 2026 NFL Spring Meeting
Zac Taylor is having some fun in the sun out west before dialing back into 2026 NFL Draft preparations this weekend. He addressed the media at the 2026 NFL Spring Meeting on Tuesday.to the defense in Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook, and Boye Mafe, but linebacker remains a major depth hole for the team.
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor walks the sideline in the second quarter of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals at Paycor Stadium in Downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. The Bengals led 23-7 at halftime. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images"It doesn't mean that we don't prioritize it. It just means, at the moment, the fit has been somewhere else, and so we've identified that and added to it," Taylor said to gathered media, including. "We are excited about our two young guys that played a lot of snaps for us last year, and the development they're going to continue to see." Cincinnati allowed the most yards per play of any defense in the NFL last season, and the growing pains from Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. were a big reason why. Finding a veteran linebacker who can provide some edge-rushing juice behind those two would help a lot of Bengals fans breathe easier. Or, they could land on Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles in the top 10 of the draft to fill that role with his elite talent and enter a full youth movement at linebacker. "We're counting in a major way on those guys," Taylor said about the young players "I thought Myles Murphy took a huge jump at the end of the year, all around as a football player, just from a football IQ, from a physicality standpoint, from an understanding what we're asking him do in the scheme, from being a playmaker for us. "I think paired with Bryan Cook, is going to pay dividends for us. And so all those guys tie together. They've all got experience together. They're all tied together. And I'm really excited about the jump they can make as a unit." Defensive coordinator Al Golden dove into the linebackers' rookie season impact at the 2026 NFL Combine. "We’ve gotta get better. We’ve gotta get deeper," Golden said. "Obviously, having somebody with a combo presence. I would prefer not to ask Demetrius to play on the line of scrimmage as much as we did. There will be times when he does do that. But I would prefer to add another piece and have that veteran wisdom and all those things. Again, we’re looking for formidable position groups, which, combined, will make us better as a unit. So yeah, we’re trying to improve a lot of different positions right now. And that’s one of them."Sign Up For Our DAILY Newsletter for More Free Coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals Delivered to You Directly For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more! We're a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals! Join the 63,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube.RUSSELL HELTMAN Russ Heltman is on the Bearcats and Bengals beat for On SI. He is the morning host and producer for 89.3 WMKV in Cincinnati, OH. Russ can be found on Twitter: @RussHeltman11 or you can reach him by email at Heltmandm@yahoo.com.
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