On Friday, Cincinnati Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin met with the media earlier than usual. Typically, we don’t hear from Tobin until the NFL Scouting Combine in February, but after a huge letdown in 2025, the organization decided to make Tobin available.

When asked about the Bengals’ biggest need this offseason, “pass rush” was the first thing on Tobin’s mind.

After giving Trey Hendrickson a raise this past offseason, he missed over half of the season with hip and core muscle injuries, which was a major blow to the Bengals’ pass rush rotation. As the season went on,...

One constant criticism the Cincinnati Bengals have endured is the tiniest scouting department in the entire NFL. While some teams employ dozens of scouts to keep an eye on players to draft and already on NFL Rosters, the Bengals’ scouting department barely reaches double digits.

They even added two new scouts last season, which still keeps it as well below the league average of roughly 20.

When asked if they would be expanding that department again, Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin said there were no such plans.

Tobin has often pointed to the idea that collaboration is easier when...

Duke Tobin spoke to the press today and addressed questions about a roster that most believe is nowhere near being a contender.

The de facto GM disagreed.

“We still have a championship team in my mind,” he said. “We have elite world-class players.”

So then what went wrong?

“We had a lot of challenges this year,” Tobin explained. “We navigated some of them as effectively as you could, and then we had challenges elsewhere.”

Tobin then went on to say that the offense was built for Joe Burrow, implying that losing him to injury was a big reason the team...

What Joe Burrow said to Shedeur Sanders after face-off in finale
On the field itself, Sanders spent his rookie year appearing in eight games, completing 56.6 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.

After Best Season Yet, Chase Brown Keeps On The Chase During Offseason
This is what you do after catching 69 passes, most ever by a Bengals running back. Until he returns to Paycor Stadium in mid-April for the Bengals’ voluntary spring workouts, Brown’s sounding board is his offseason coach Drew Lieberman, and he knows there’ll be a meeting before he heads to work with...

A semifinal rematch between Oregon and Indiana takes place on Friday night. Indiana came out victorious during the regular season match-up, by a score of 30-20. This should be another closely contested game between two evenly matched teams. Both teams feature a ton of talented draft-eligible prospects.

A’Mauri Washington is a 6’3”, 338-pound defensive tackle for the Ducks. He is a Feldman Freak List member for his insane athleticism at his size. Washington is still developing as a consistent game-wrecker, but has shown tremendous flashes of the potential he possesses. He has an excellent 83.4 run defense grade on the...

The Cincinnati Bengals’ defense has never recovered from losing Jessie Bates to the Atlanta Falcons three years ago.

But they could get their chance in April if Ohio State’s Caleb Downs is still on the board.

NFL Draft expert Field Yates doesn’t see Downs falling outside the top 10. “It’s a rarity for a safety to go this high,” Yates said. “I think Caleb Downs is a rare player.”

The expert calls the safety a “zero-weakness” player and praised his experience. “He’s played at Alabama for a season and then two years at Ohio State,” Yates said. “He’s played under...

The Bengals’ season came to an unceremonious end with their Week 18 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Let’s take one final look at what the rookies put on film.

Shemar Stewart did exactly what Shemar Stewart does. He got to the quarterback, but didn’t get sacks. Stewart hit the quarterback twice, but just as the ball was leaving his hands. He had a chance for a tackle on a running play, but, as he often did in college, he lunged rather than bringing his hips through for the tackle, and the play went on.

The Bengals’ first-round pick ended his...

For the past two summers, star defensive end Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals have been at odds with a long-term extension. Hendrickson had a brief holdout of early 2024 workouts, but put it aside, only to have a historic season.

In 2025, Hendrickson’s contract impasse was more pronounced and received much more national attention after his 17.5-sack campaign. After sitting out training camp, Hendrickson returned shortly before the regular season after a pay bump for 2025. Unfortunately, he was injured in Week 6 and didn’t appear in another game after Week 8 versus the Jets.

As the Bengals enter...

AFC North rival shows interest in messing up Zac Taylor’s plan for Bengals coaching continuity

Pitcher has been Cincinnati’s OC since 2024. He was promoted from quarterbacks coach, the job he held from 2020-23, after former OC Brian Callahan left to become the HC of the Tennessee Titans. Callahan was fired by Tennessee during the 2025 season.

The Envelope Please: Bengals.com 2025 Awards

The best player in the NFL. Hands down. Hands up. One hand. Two hands. Doesn’t matter. With 125 catches and 1,412 yards in this season of three quarterbacks, an array of gadget defenses and a new captain’s...

The Miami Hurricanes pulled off the upset against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. They dominated in the trenches. It is not a coincidence that is where some of the best prospects in this game reside.

Rueben Bain Jr. has been flat-out dominant in the first two games of the playoffs. He has 16 total pressures and 4 sacks in those two games. Bain isn’t just a pass rush specialist either. At 277 pounds, he is a monster against the run. There is a lot of discourse about his short arms for the next level,...

As it currently stands, the Cincinnati Bengals hold the No. 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft. The 2026 season was a major disappointment for the team and they have a lot of roster holes to fill in the months of March and April.

One very intriguing prospect in an offseason wherein the Bengals’ defense needs major retooling is Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. He is projected to be a top-10 pick in this class, and one of the best overall talents.

On Wednesday, the star Buckeyes defender officially declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Downs started his collegiate career...

Outside of Myles Murphy, the Cincinnati Bengals don’t have a ton of security at pass rusher.

For that reason, Todd McShay has the Bengals selecting Rueben Bain Jr. out of Miami in the first round of his 2026 NFL Mock Draft.

Here is what the Draft analyst wrote:

Bain’s production dipped for a few games in the middle of the year, but watching him over the past month (especially in the first two rounds of the CFP) has reminded NFL teams of how impactful this dude could be at the next level.

Yes, he has short arms....