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Bet Zac Taylor to Win NFL Coach of the Year

By Iain MacMillan

Zac Taylor is entering his fourth year as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Zac Taylor is entering his fourth year as head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. / Sam Greene-USA TODAY Sports
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This time last year, I was encouraging people to bet on Zac Taylor to be the first head coach to be fired.

This year, I'm singing a different tune.

Let's take a look at the top 20 odds to win NFL Coach of the Year at DraftKings Sportsbook, and then I'll let you all know why you should bet on the Cincinnati Bengals head coach at +2500.

Odds to Win NFL Coach of the Year

  • Brandon Staley +1400
  • Nathaniel Hackett +1600
  • Mike McDaniel +1600
  • Kevin O'Connell +1600
  • Dan Campbell +1600
  • Nick Sirianni +1800
  • Doug Pederson +1800
  • Josh McDaniels +1800
  • Brian Daboll +1800
  • Sean McDermott +2000
  • Kyle Shanahan +2000
  • Frank Reich +2000
  • Bill Belichick +2000
  • Kevin Stefanski +2200
  • Zac Taylor +2500
  • Todd Bowles +2500
  • Sean McVay +2500
  • Mike Vrabel +2500
  • John Harbaugh +2500
  • Matt Lafleur +2500

Zac Taylor is the Best Bet to Win NFL Coach of the Year

There's a belief that the NFL Coach of the Year award always goes to whoever the best first year head coach is. That's why the names at the top of the odds list include guys like Nathaniel Hackett, Mike McDaniel, and Kevin O'Connell.

That hasn't necessarily been the case. Only three of the last nine winners of the award were first year head coaches with their team. Many times, like Mike Vrabel last season, the award goes to the head coach of the best team. There's a reason Bill Belichick has won the award three different times.

I think, this year's candidate for the head coach of the best team is Zac Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals.

People aren't expecting much from the defending AFC champions. In fact, most sportsbooks have them sixth on the odds list to win the conference for a second straight season, as if last year was some sort of fluke.

I'm here to tell you, as good as the Bengals were last season, they're going to be MUCH better in 2022.

Bengals Offense is Improved in All the Right Areas

There's no doubt that Joe Burrow is an MVP-caliber quarterback, and he has one of the best receiving cores in the NFL. Cincinnati led the NFL in yards per pass attempt last season, but the hole on the Bengals was obvious; their offensive line.

While leading the league in yards per pass attempt, they also had the second highest sack percentage in the NFL, with Burrow getting sacked on 9.59% of his drop backs.

So, what did the Bengals do? They went out and got Alex Cappa from the Buccaneers, Ted Karras from the Patriots, and La'el Collins from the Cowboys.

Then they went and beefed up their secondary through the draft, selecting safety Daxton Hill in the first round and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt in the second round.

All in all, this Bengals team improved in the areas they needed to this offseason. If Burrow could lead this team to a Super Bowl with pylons for offensive lineman, imagine what he can do this season.

And, if Cincinnati can grab the top seed in the AFC, Zac Taylor will be named coach of the year.

At 25/1, this bet is a no-brainer.

You can track Iain's bets on Betstamp here.

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