Cincinnati Bengals Must Back Up Their Words With Action This Offseason

Following Duke Tobin's press conference, the feel around the Bengals is roughly the same as it was even before Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin met with the media for a rare appearance on Friday.

Many were expecting a big reveal from the Bengals' de facto general manager, to the effect of him taking on the full title as general manager of the organization, or an announcement that the team was expanding its scouting department.

To be painfully clear, that was never going to happen, and it was made even more obvious when Tobin insisted on "collaboration" between himself, the coaching staff, and ownership when it comes to control of the 53-man roster.

"I don’t know that we’ve ever defined that to any degree. We always come to a collaborative approach. Ultimately, this is Mr. Brown’s team. And he is the owner," Tobin said. "If he or somebody in the ownership group wants to step in, (they can). But it never happens. It doesn’t need to happen. We find the solutions together. Zac and I will hash it out. We’ll visit with Katie and Troy and Mike and we’ll come up with what we feel is best. It’s never been a power thing. I’ve never understood the — when you have a collaborative approach like this, there really isn’t a need for anybody to thump anybody else."

Tobin would offer further insight into what exactly he controls, stating that it's his job to come up with the collaborative approach. He emphasized that one person does not make the final decision without full alignment from the rest of the room.

"It’s my job to come up with the collaborative approach, come up with a consensus and make a decision, if that’s what you’re asking," Tobin said. "But that is not something that comes into any of our decisions — ‘Well, it’s my decision, so tough luck.' That doesn’t show up."

This is seen as the major sticking point that has fans frustrated, even more so after Tobin addressed the media, as it appears there are no big changes as to how the Bengals conduct themselves in the front office.

This, combined with the consistent refusal to discuss contract structure, has led to the frustration growing louder and louder after Tobin seemingly scoffed at the idea of discussing contract structures with impending free agents, such as guaranteed money beyond year one.

"Contract specifics on what we're going to do?" Tobin asked. "Just depends on the player. It depends on the player, and what's required. We'll do what's required if we have to secure a player that we think can help us win."

While the answer leaves a small amount of room for one to be hopeful that they could examine their contract negotiations, it implies that they'll only structure contracts with guaranteed money in year two for players like Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase.

Bottom Line

Cincinnati Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin addresses the media during a press conference, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati. | Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nothing Tobin said in his media appearance was going to satisfy fans, as at this moment in time it is just empty words until proven otherwise through more aggressive approaches in free agency, the trade market, and draft.

Even with his insistence that the defense needs more talent, Tobin continued to commend the progression of young players on defense to the point where it leaves concern as to how much they will attempt to actually improve the unit through free agency this offseason.

"Our defensive staff is really impressive because they know how: ‘So we don't have this, how do we adjust, so we don't have this, how do we adjust so we don't have this, how do we adjust?" Tobin said. "And you saw that as we went through the season. Their ability to adjust when you don't have everything you need, and every team does this, but you have to have guys that are able to do that and then start to right the ship."

There is valid frustration within the fanbase after Tobin spoke on Friday, and it largely feels that is the case because there were little to no answers or no changes to the way that the front office will operate going forward to capitalize on the team's championship window.

Nothing will feel good enough until we see change later in the offseason, and the biggest change we need to see is an aggressive approach to fixing weaknesses in free agency this coming March as Burrow pointed out in his end of the season press conference.

For more on Tobin's comments, watch the video below. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio and Amazon.

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