The Cincinnati Bengals face the first major coaching turnover hurdle of the Zac Taylor era with Brian Callahan off to coach the Tennessee Titans.
And while the Bengals have prepped former quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher for the promotion to the coordinator for a few seasons now, players themselves haven’t talked publicly about the change much.
At the Pro Bowl, though, star wideout Ja’Marr Chase faced questions about the change and had some high praise for his former coordinator.
“I hate to see him leave, but it’s nice to see him get a head job,” Chase said, according to Jim Wyatt of the Titans’ official website. “He’s a good coach, he loves his players. We always had good conversations. I think he’s a great guy. The Titans are fortunate to get him.
Chase added: “I think it will be fun, seeing him do what he does. It’s a new opportunity, and we’ll see what kind of playmakers he can (develop) and get the most out of them.”
It should indeed be interesting to see how Callahan takes the lessons of the Taylor era and applies them to a team with an upstart possible franchise quarterback in Will Levis while confronting questions, such as what to do about Derrick Henry.
Beyond also speaking out about Callahan, Taylor also noted that going against his former understudy in the AFC should be an interesting challenge, starting right next season.
