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A slight change to an NFL rule has been set before the start of the 2026 season, but it’s nothing new for Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor.
He admitted he’s technically been breaking an NFL rule for the past eight years.
The change is that each team’s head coach will be able to delegate the ability to use the red challenge flag to someone else on the staff if they so wish.
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Zac Taylor, head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, talks to the media during training camp at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Cincinnati, Ohio, on July 29, 2026. (Getty Images)
It was the responsibility of the head coach to challenge a play, throwing the red flag on the field for review.
Now, the head coach has the ability to name a pregame challenge designee that will be responsible for those moments during the game.
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But in 2019, when Taylor was named the Bengals’ head coach, he wasn’t the one holding the flag. It was Doug Rosfeld, his chief of coaching staff, throwing the flag instead.
That’s the way Taylor has been running that aspect of his many duties as head coach, which he revealed on Tuesday during his press conference.
“We’ve been breaking that rule for eight years because I’ve never thrown a challenge flag,” he said.
Taylor even added that he’d let referees know he wasn’t the one throwing it before the game, and they never took an issue with Rosfeld having that duty.
“They ask you that in pregame, who’s got the flag,” Taylor mentioned. “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.”
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor calls out during the first half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Many coaches are creatures of habit so, despite the rule change, those that have the red challenge flag on their person during games will likely keep it that way. Some leave it in their pant pockets, while some even have it tucked into their socks (Bill Belichick’s favorite spot).
For Taylor, he said “it’s easier for me” not to have the flag on him during the game. One of the reasons is due to the ending of an offensive series, which he does the play-calling for, where he’ll immediately go talk to his players.
In that time, if there is a challengeable play, Rosfeld will be the one watching and determining whether it’s worth throwing the flag.
Every team, every coach works different from each other. But this slight rule change is something Taylor isn’t even batting an eye at.
Zac Taylor stands on the sideline at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Jan. 4, 2026. (Getty Images)
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He’s been handling it that way the entire time.
“They always made it clear to me that I have to be next to Doug,” Taylor added. “I guess if we ever need to sneak one by them when I was back there [talking to Joe Burrow] and they couldn’t get me in the headset, Doug could have done it, but that’s never come up. It’s just part of our routine now. I feel better with Doug having it.”
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