Zac Taylor isn't even halfway through his first season with the Bengals and things have already turned into a total nightmare for the team's new coach.
Not only is Taylor dealing with an 0-6 start, but he's also dealing with an ugly situation that's going on between left tackle Cordy Glenn and the team. After starting 13 games for the Bengals last season, Glenn has yet to play this year due to a concussion that he suffered during Cincinnati's second preseason game on Aug. 15.
After the game, Glenn self-reported a head injury and was immediately placed in concussion protocol. Although there was some hope in the organization that Glenn would be able to return at some point in September, he didn't end up getting cleared for practice until Wednesday, a full eight weeks after he originally suffered the injury.
During Glenn's two months on the sideline, the team was apparently at odds with Glenn about his recovery timetable. As a matter of fact, things got so bad between Glenn and the Bengals that the team fined him $200,000 for for conduct detrimental to the team, according to Pro Football Talk.
When Glenn finally returned to practice on Wednesday, things got contentious between Glenn and a member of the team's coaching staff. As PFT described it, the situation ended with Glenn going up to Taylor and asking to be released.
Although Glenn is still on the roster, he wasn't at Thursday's practice. According to The Athletic, Glenn's car wasn't even in the team's parking lot, which means he wasn't even at the facility to get treatment.
With the NFL's focus on player safety, it's hard to imagine how a situation involving a concussion could have gotten this bad, but here we are.
The Bengals' relationship with Glenn is nearing the point where it's going to be unsalvageable, if it's not already there. The good news for the Bengals is that Glenn plays a position that should be able to draw some serious compensation on the trade market. There are multiple teams in need of a left tackle, and those teams would presumably be bidding against each other to drive up the price. If you're the Bengals, trading Glenn would seem to be a no-brainer, but nothing in Cincinnati is ever that easy.
Of course, Glenn isn't the only Bengals veteran who has missed the entire season due to injury. A.J. Green has been sidelined for more than 12 weeks since suffering an ankle injury in late July. Although Green is unlikely to play this week, the team is hoping to have him back for their Week 8 game in London. If that doesn't happen, Green is expected to play in Week 10 following the Bengals Week 9 bye -- as long as he doesn't get traded.