Cincinnati Bengals de-factor general manager Duke Tobin emerges looking great in a fresh ranking of general managers around the NFL.
While the Bengals haven’t officially given out the title despite national outcry about it, Tobin stands in the role and gets the spot on leaguewide rankings for the team.
And it’s quite the incredible ranking for Tobin this offseason, with NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal putting him in third overall place:
Longtime NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots once said of Marvin Lewis that the coach “raised the Titanic” during his time in Cincinnati. That’s partly why Tobin gets extra credit for building two different Bengals eras with top-shelf rosters. Having Joe Burrow instead of Andy Dalton atop the quarterback depth chart should help the latest iteration last. The team has a strong recent record with targeted free-agent strikes (Chidobe Awuzie, D.J. Reader), and it was smart not to overspend when some of their own players like Hayden Hurst and Vonn Bell got paid too much elsewhere. Tobin used that extra money to find value with tackle Orlando Brown Jr. at the top of the market and safety Nick Scott and tight end Irv Smith Jr. as worthwhile low-cost gambles. Cincinnati’s offensive line overhaul last offseason mostly worked, but I love that Tobin didn’t stand pat. There is strong cohesion between Tobin and Zac Taylor’s coaching staff, which develops rookies like cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt before giving them playing time.
Tobin finishes third behind only Howie Roseman of the Philadelphia Eagles and Brett Veach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
That’s great company for Tobin, who took the layup that was picking Joe Burrow and then superbly built around the rookie quarterback contract to the tune of a Super Bowl appearance and coming within a few plays of another.
Most impressive of all, Tobin has done so while matching the vision of head coach Zac Taylor, re-building the program to his liking over the last few years.
Tobin will remain in this spot, if not climb higher, provided he can keep fielding a contender-worthy roster after Joe Burrow gets his massive extension.
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