Duke Tobin, Bengals 'Always Looking' For Potential Linebacker Upgrades, One Veteran Clearly Stands Out

Duke Tobin had plenty to say at the podium to round out Cincinnati's 2026 draft cycle on Monday. The Bengals' director of player personnel was "pleased" with how the offseason went for Cincinnati after this franchise got more aggressive in building a roster than it arguably ever has this century.

The Bengals rank 29th in the salary cap space ($7.49 million) on Over The Cap after adding multiple big-time free agents and beefing up the defensive line, led by the trade for Dexter Lawrence II.

Linebacker Next?

Nov 13, 2025; Madrid, Spain; Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during practice at Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

One spot that didn't get a major addition is linebacker. Cincinnati had arguably the worst LB play in the league last season, but that was rookie-inexperience-driven. Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter have a full season of tape to learn from and a better front to gunk up offenses. Still, Tobin wouldn't rule out a later addition at that spot.

There are plenty of veteran linebackers available on the open market, headlined by multi-time All-Pro Bobby Wagner. He would be the cherry on top of this aggressive window if Cincinnati restructures Joe Burrow's contract and opens up enough cap space to ink his projected $8.5 million, one-year contract on Over The Cap.

They got aggressive for Lawrence. Why not keep doubling down for another All-Pro?

"I don't think we went into it saying we're not going to add at any position," Tobin said about the linebacker plan this offseason. "Again, it's opportunities that come up. And probably the best thing we did for our linebacker room is what we did for the D-line room, and that's going to elevate those guys. And I have real belief in the guys that we have. They have full seasons under their belt, they have really good production for rookies, and they're going to grow in our scheme, and they're going to be really good players, and I think we have depth behind them.

"Doesn't mean we won't look. We're always looking. This is a 12-month thing. This isn't just a two-month thing, but in these two months, the opportunity wasn't there to add to that group, and we accept that because we have guys that we believe in there."

There is not much smoke for any team to land Wagner right now, but he is the clear best veteran LB available. The 35-year-old may not need much convincing to join a roster like this with a quarterback like Joe Burrow, if the money is right.

Wagner's a bona fide warrior at the LB spot, logging over 3,300 snaps in the past three seasons, while never posting a Pro Football Focus grade lower than 78.6 in that stretch. PFF had him as the only NFL linebacker to earn 90.0-plus grades in run defense (90.3), pass rushing (92.4) and, tackling (90.5) this -past season.

Tobin is happy, but he can always get happier as Cincinnati gets ready to field the deepest roster around Burrow that he's played with in the NFL.

"Happy with how the past two months have gone with roster building," Tobin said to start his presser. "It's 12 months a year. It never stops. But these two months are critical, and I'm really excited and proud of the personnel guys upstairs and how they attacked it, how they stayed with it. We used every resource we could, every different way, to acquire guys that we thought were right for us."

Check out more on Burrow's potential contract restructure here.

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