Bengals Promote Elizabeth Blackburn to Vice President as Offseason Overhaul Continues

The news was revealed on Monday afternoon.

Cincinnati Bengals Director of Strategy & Engagement Elizabeth Blackburn, and Senior Manager of Digital Strategy Caroline Blackburn, right, walk off the field at the conclusion of the team s rookie mini camp, Friday, May 12, 2023, inside the team s indoor practice bubble in Cincinnati. | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bengals have added a new member to their front office board of vice presidents. During an interview with various local media members, it was announced that Director of Strategy and Engagement Elizabeth Blackburn had been promoted to Vice President.

Elizabeth will be joining her father Troy Blackburn, and uncle Paul Brown as the others within the Bengals brass with the title of Vice President, and continue to work alongside her mother, Katie Blackburn who currently operates as the Executive Vice President. Bengals owner Mike Brown is the team president.

This news came to light during an interview that Katie and Elizabeth did with the local Cincinnati writers that attended owners meetings earlier this offseason.

During the interview, Blackburn sent a clear message that just because changes to the front office did not come in the form of anybody losing their job, it does not mean that changes were not made to the process in which the front office has previously operated.

“We are trying to take very measured steps to maximize our chances with known commodities,” Elizabeth Blackburn said. “We think we’ve made changes in certain processes, on the roster, behind the scenes, certain things that can lead to different outcomes. That’s hard sometimes to totally see. But certain change comes with big risk. And we think we’re in a good spot.”

Elizabeth Blackburn Has Changed the Bengals Process Before

Bengals owner Mike Brown stands with his grand daughter Elizabeth Blackburn on the sideline during a preseason joint practice at the Paycor Stadium practice facility in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Blackburn being promoted to a VP within the Bengals organization off the heels of an extremely productive offseason could be a sign she is also chiming in on football decisions.

This would not be the first time that Blackburn has sparked change for the front office either, as she was a key figure in the franchise adopting its Ring of Honor. While the Ring of Honor has its' own issues that currently need to be fixed in order to honor aging legends, it is certainly better than what the organization did before to honor their players.

Whether Blackburn played a key role in the team trading for All-Pro Dexter Lawrence or not, she undoubtedly has the energy needed to continue modernizing a Bengals franchise that was long stuck in the past prior to her involvement in day-to-day operations.

How the Bengals continue to evolve as a franchise from this point forward will be intriguing considering Blackburns continued ascent as an executive.

Make sure you check out Paul Dehner Jr's entire article about the interview here.

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