Pro Football Rumors
The Browns, Ravens, and Steelers all made sweeping organization changes this offseason, but unlike their AFC North rivals, the Bengals are staying the course with de facto general manager Duke Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor.
Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn, the team’s No. 2 executive after president and principal owner Mike Brown, backed her team’s leadership in an interview on Monday. (Blackburn is Brown’s daughter. Her husband, Troy, serves as vice president and their daughters, Caroline and Elizabeth, were promoted to the same titles this offseason, per ESPN’s Ben Baby.)
“We feel good about them for a lot of reasons,” Blackburn said (via ESPN’s Ben Baby). “There’s also that element of consistency that hopefully will prove out to be beneficial, too.”
Tobin and Taylor led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance in 2021 and followed it up with a 12-4 season and another AFC championship game appearance the following year. In the three years since, though, Cincinnati has gone 24-27 with no playoff appearances. Injuries to star quarterback Joe Burrow, who appeared in just 18 games between the 2023 and 2025 season, have certainly played a role, but so has a defense that consistently ranked among the league’s bottom 10 units.
Blackburn also expressed confidence in the team’s roster, which she described as “a strong base to work around.” Elizabeth Blackburn specifically mentioned the acquisition of Dexter Lawrence from the Giants, who she described as a “pretty special player who can do a lot for your defense.”
“They are rarely available,” she added. “Those are the types of moves you figure out a way.”
Burrow himself voiced excitement about the Bengals’ offseason moves, saying (via Baby) the team is has built best roster of his career. He also singled out the Lawrence trade, noting that potential rookies available with the No. 10 pick Cincinnati sent to New York would not have the same impact in 2026.
There have been rumors in the past about Burrow’s dissatisfaction in Cincinnati, but the move for Lawrence is a sign of commitment from the front office to capitalizing on their current window of contention. If the Bengals can field even a middling defense, their high-octane offense can likely power them to a playoff spot, and maybe beyond.
