NFL Trade Rumors
The Bengals ranked among the bottom in the league in several defensive categories last season, including No. 25 in yards allowed and No. 26 in points. Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin said they are looking to “retool” on the defensive side this offseason after holding onto several players for too long.
“We’re going to have to retool defensively,” Tobin said, via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “My thoughts were we lined up with the majority of the guys on our defense that played with us in the Super Bowl. Three of our starting defensive linemen were Super Bowl starters for us. Both starting linebackers, one of the safeties, Cam Taylor-Britt, you know, and we had upgrades at other spots, and Mike Hilton, right? So, the majority of our defense is guys that have gotten us there before. That’s what we banked on. We ended up with, I think, the third highest payroll in the league, because we kept those guys together. And I think the expectation was keeping those guys together would net, and it didn’t. And maybe I needed to influx. Maybe I needed to change more of that going in, but we ran it back with a lot of guys, and it just didn’t come together, a lot of veteran guys, and that just happened, and it snowballed on us a little bit. The thing that we’re going to have to evaluate going into next year is who is going to play up to that and who isn’t. And we’re going to have to make changes there, and there’s going to have to be an influx of young players, and we’re going to have to reevaluate where the money is being spent, and how much is being spent on each position. And so that is the thing that we are going to do this offseason (is ask) is that money going where it needs to go?”
Tobin mentioned having “tough decisions” on players to retain or let go,
“How many top guys at every position can you pay on a team? And that’s what we’re going to have to decide,” Tobin said. “How much of that money gets funneled into the guys that really produced for us this year, and away from guys maybe that didn’t and those are tough decisions. There’s not a player in our locker room I don’t believe in. There is not a single player in our locker room that I don’t like and believe in and have a ton of respect for. But we’re gonna have to make some hard decisions as we move into next year, and the dynamic of who is making it and who isn’t, and where the young guys and where the new guys fit in, that’s what we’re going to have to decide. I was pleased with some of the new guys that got to play later in the season, especially on the defensive line.”
Tobin is encouraged by younger defensive linemen like **[Joseph...
