Zac Taylor responds to Ezekiel Elliott rumors

Feb 13, 2022; Inglewood, CA, USA; Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor before playing against the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

One of the teams Ezekiel Elliott is supposedly interested in playing for does not seem quite as excited about that possibility as he is.

Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor had a lukewarm response to Elliott rumors on Thursday. Taylor essentially dismissed the report as a rumor and said he liked the team the Bengals have now.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor addressed the ESPN report that said former Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott is considering Cincinnati as one of three finalists. Taylor was the keynote speaker tonight for St. Xavier's 39th annual Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/i0ltmRSm3t

— Mike Dyer (@MikeDyer) March 24, 2023

“There’s a lot of great players that are available right now,” Taylor said. “We like our team where it’s at right now, but it’s always fun to hear things get thrown around. Sometimes it’s the first you hear of it, but that’s just the way life works.”

Taylor could simply be playing his cards close to the vest here, but he does not sound enthusiastically interested in adding Elliott. The team already has Joe Mixon at the running back position, though there could be an opening for another player given the significant role Samaje Perine wound up playing for the team last season.

There have been some hints that Elliott’s list of finalists amounts to a wish list. If so, that makes two teams that do not seem terribly interested in signing him.