There could be a coaching shakeup in the AFC North after the season comes to an end.
If the Cincinnati Bengals fall short of postseason contention for a third consecutive season they could conceivably decide to move on from head coach Zac Taylor. The same thing could be said about Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. If Pittsburgh’s season ends in disappointment, Mike Tomlin could be looking for a new job.
Bengals listed as ideal landing spot for Mike Tomlin
Is there a world where Tomlin would leave Pittsburgh but stay in the division and head west to Cincinnati? Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report seems to think so, as he listed the Bengals as an ideal landing spot for Tomlin, should he ultimately part ways with the Steelers.
From Knox:
“It's hard not to think that replacing Taylor with Tomlin wouldn't make the Bengals instantly better. And of the teams that might fire their current head coach to have a shot at Tomlin, Cincinnati should be the most attractive to him.
“While the Bengals' defense does need significant work, Tomlin would be inheriting an elite signal-caller and a top-tier offensive skill group. He'd have a chance to chase another Super Bowl in Cincinnati, and he'd return to the city where he spent the final two years of his collegiate coaching career.”
Tomlin has been the head coach in Pittsburgh for nearly two decades, so it would be weird to see him standing on the sideline in the gear of any other organization, but it would be especially strange to see him in Cincinnati’s black and orange.
However, you have to think that he would be an upgrade for the Bengals, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Tomlin has a defensive background as he served as a defensive backs coach in Tampa Bay and the defensive coordinator in Minnesota before joining the Steelers. Defense has been a huge problem area for Cincinnati in recent years, and one would assume that the addition of Tomlin would go a long way towards addressing that issue.
This is all hypothetical of course, because we don’t know that Tomlin and the Steelers will part ways over the offseason. The same could be said about Cincinnati and Taylor. There’s still a lot of football to be played this season, and the way the Steelers and Bengals finish out will likely factor into the future for both coaches.
If things go well for both team, perhaps no changes will be made. Both if things go south in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, the AFC North could look a lot different next season.