Coach Zac Taylor believes in-house options can improve Bengals defense

CINCINNATI — While the Cincinnati Bengals enter their bye week with the worst defense in the NFL, coach Zac Taylor is sticking with the coaching staff the Bengals have in place on that side of the ball.

“I trust those guys,” Taylor said. “Those guys have been really successful everywhere they’ve been, and we’re going to be successful here. We’re going to work this week and try to find a way to make our team better.”

Even though there’s not much positive to point to, Taylor emphasized the experience that he went through personally in 2020, when the rebuilding Bengals stuck with him as the head coach.

“I’m thankful that in 2020 that they didn’t kick me out of here so we were able to go to the Super Bowl the next year,” Taylor said. “I believe in the people that we’ve hired. I sit in there and watch these guys coach. I know what they’re made of. I know where we can continue to grow. So when you believe in people, you don’t just make a gut reaction from what people want to see that aren’t necessarily a part of it.”

While the staff will remain the same, changes still are being made.

The Bengals traded Logan Wilson to Dallas on Tuesday for a seventh-round pick. Rookie Barrett Carter has taken over as the starting middle linebacker.

“(Wilson) is my guy,” Carter said. “He’s the best guy ever. Obviously he’s a great player. He showed me what it looks like and what it means to be great.”

Wilson had been a starter since 2021 and was a team captain. But as the Bengals defense gets younger, Taylor hopes to see less experienced players step into leadership roles.

“Those young linebackers (Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr.) have leadership qualities, and guys see the way they work and how much it means to them,” Taylor said. “And so if they were to speak, I think that guys would listen to them. I think there’s a lot of guys that fit that.”

The Bengals have also been looking for a spark on the defensive line. Star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has missed most of the last four games with a hip injury.

Hendrickson has a track record of clutch sacks that essentially end games. The Bengals haven’t had any such plays in his absence; instead they’ve allowed late go-ahead touchdowns. Cincinnati opted not to trade Hendrickson at the deadline.

First-round draft pick Shemar Stewart hasn’t produced and is now dealing with a knee injury.

Regardless of who’s playing, defensive coordinator Al Golden stressed the importance of generating more pass rush.

“We’re resisting the temptation to just keep installing layer after layer after layer (of scheme),” Golden said. “That’s not who we are right now. We try to simplify things and get the pass rushers to play faster. Certainly we’ll look scheme-wise at different fronts and different matchups. We desperately need to improve that. Obviously we could have impacted the game the other day by doing so.”

The Bengals don’t have as much depth in the secondary, so they’re expected to stick with their struggling starters at cornerback and safety.

Entering the bye week, the Bengals rank last in the NFL in points allowed, yards allowed and first downs allowed. They also rank 30th in rushing yards allowed per carry.

Golden said the lack of production starts with him.

“I do take it personally, and I know the coaches take it personally,” Golden said. “We have a great group of young men in the locker room that are upstairs in the building trying to get better today. Know that when outcomes like this occur, it’s never just one simple fix. There are a lot of elements that go into it. We just got to get back to work on it.”