As the new NFL season gets going over the next few weeks, the league has announced a new rule for the year.
This week, the NFL revealed that head coaches will have the ability to designate a member of their sideline staff to initiate replay challenges in-game. This will impact all head coaches around the league, making for more interesting situations to arise.
Zac Taylor Admits to Breaking NFL Rule
However, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has apparently been doing this over the course of his career. The Bengals’ leading man admitted that he’s been breaking the rule since becoming a head coach.
“We’ve been breaking that rule for eight years because I’ve never thrown a challenge flag,” Taylor said.
Taylor said that he would let the officiating team know pre-game that his chief of coaching staff, Doug Rosfeld, would be the one to throw the flag.
Since Taylor can’t see everything that happens during a game due to him needing to speak with players, the Bengals coach designated Rosfeld to make the call.
“They ask you that in pregame, who’s got the flag,” Taylor said. “It’s never been an issue. I didn’t even know it was frowned upon. I know there’s other coaches in the league, I’m not the only one who’s done that. I saw they implemented a new rule, so maybe we’ll get a retroactive fine or something.”
This new rule will be one to watch as it does create a sort of firewall between coaches and emotional decisions around the league. Sometimes coaches can be too invested in a play, so this new rule could allow for that to be taken away.
For Taylor, it seems it will be business as usual entering the 2026 season. But the pressure on Taylor this year will be something to watch closely
Zac Taylor Embracing Bengals Pressure in 2026
With the Bengals missing the playoffs in each of the past three years, there is a lot of pressure on this team to succeed. Cincinnati put together a strong offseason, adding to the defensive side of the ball.
The only goal is getting back to being a Super Bowl contender, and Taylor knows better than anyone the level of urgency that needs to be there.
“We know what it takes,” Taylor said. “We know a lot of times why we’ve failed and what we have to do to correct it. Maybe I was blind to things that haven’t enabled us to have the seasons we’ve had. You learn from that experience like anything. I’m going to be a better coach five years from now than I am today.”
After the 2025 season, rumors swirled around Taylor’s status as the Bengals head coach. The front office decided to keep him for one more season, allowing his contract to expire this year before deciding on his future.
If the Bengals can get back to being real contenders, Taylor may be safe from being let go. But if Cincinnati were to regress or falter, major changes are likely coming across the organization after the year.
Bengals’ Zac Taylor Admits He’s Broken NFL Rule For Years