Cincinnati Bengals News From Zac Taylor, Joe Burrow Before Steelers Matchup + Duke Tobin Failure

There was something particularly troubling about Wednesday's press conference in Cincinnati, and it had very little to do with the Bengals backing out of a proposed trade for Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Arnold Ebiketie. It had everything to do with who was standing behind the microphone explaining it.

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Zac Taylor was put in the uncomfortable position of apologizing for Duke Tobin, the man responsible for overseeing the Bengals' personnel decisions. And Taylor made it clear that he wasn't particularly comfortable with the assignment.

"He's really apologetic about it," Taylor said, explaining Tobin's position. He also acknowledged that Tobin had specifically instructed him on how he wanted the situation portrayed. Taylor even admitted, "I'm not comfortable doing it, but I'm going to do what he asked."

Read that again.

Why is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals carrying water for the director of player personnel? Why wasn't Tobin standing in front of reporters himself, explaining how his organization agreed to a trade before apparently discovering the financial implications involving a potentially valuable third-round compensatory draft pick?

Mistakes happen in the NFL. Nobody expects every personnel decision to work out perfectly. But accountability matters, especially when you're entrusted with building a roster and making decisions that affect an entire football organization.

Tobin deserved the opportunity to explain what happened, answer the uncomfortable questions and apologize directly to Bengals fans. Instead, Taylor became the organization's spokesperson for a front-office decision that wasn't his to defend.

That's not fair to Taylor, and frankly, it's not fair to the fans.

The Bengals can talk all they want about confidence in their roster and moving forward. But leadership isn't just about taking credit when things go right. It's about accepting responsibility when things go wrong.

Zac Taylor shouldn't have to apologize for Duke Tobin.

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