Tag: Duke Tobin

Bengals single out key area set for improvements this offseason

Bengals brass are focused on one big problem area on the roster.

The Cincinnati Bengals would agree with fans on at least one key point — the interior of the offensive line is an issue.

Granted, the Bengals agree with fans on other things, too, like needing to get Ja’Marr Chase an extension and prioritizing Trey Hendrickson.

But the offensive line came up during a recent discussion between Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin and the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, too.

“We’re going to add to the position,” Tobin said. “For sure there will be competition at those positions, we have to evaluate who will come back and who will not come back. It’s a spot that we’re focused on.”

RELATED: Duke Tobin’s Trey Hendrickson comments — cause for concern?

While center Ted Karras might be free from serious scrutiny this offseason, the same doesn’t apply to the guard spots.

At left guard, Cordell Volson got benched and only returned to the lineup when necessary as injuries struck elsewhere. On the right side, Alex Cappa regressed dramatically, ending up as one of the worst overall graded linemen in the league. At this point, Cappa is one of the team’s top cut candidates alongside the likes of Sam Hubbard.

While Tobin did have plenty of praise for the coaching staff changes that impact the line and was hopeful it would help technique issues, it’s pretty clear that some heavy outside competition will join the roster soon.

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It sounds like Jermaine Burton is on last chance with Bengals already

Duke Tobin’s comments say it all about the rookie’s future with the team.

Embattled Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton might not be long for the team this offseason if certain things don’t fall into place quickly.

That much seems clear based on comments made by Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin at the Senior Bowl this week during a conversation with the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway.

There, Tobin was brutally blunt in his assessment of Burton’s outlook when asked about the wideout’s spot on the roster.

“He’s done nothing, and he’s going to have to start doing something quickly,” Tobin told Conway. “We knew we were taking a risk. We felt comfortable that we could help him through some of the challenges he’s had in the past, and we’re going to continue to try to help him. But this is professional football, and you have to take accountability, and you have to be accountable to your teammates, your coaches, and the team that you’re playing for, and he has to figure that out. He’s got to figure that out fast…. We’re giving him the resources he needs to get to those rewards, but at the end of the day, you can’t want it more for somebody than they want it for themselves. And we’re hoping that Jermaine figures that out.”

RELATED: Duke Tobin’s Trey Hendrickson comments — cause for concern?

He’s done nothing (to deserve a roster spot) is scathing. It doesn’t matter much that Tobin massaged the commentary by praising Burton’s talent and admitting the red flags risk that came with taking him last year.

There’s no hiding it, really. In November, when Tee Higgins was out and he was potentially a big part of the game plan, Burton reportedly no-showed a Saturday walkthrough and got publicly blasted by his teammates for it. He spent most of the season just attempting to make an impact on special teams.

In January, after reportedly being served an eviction notice, the Bengals responded to allegations leveled against Burton dug up from police reports pertaining to an alleged assault involving him.

Tobin’s commentary, then, just seems to reaffirm what fans can already guess, given the path traveled to this point.

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Joe Burrow has already been involved in Bengals’ offseason plan

Bengals brass confirm Joe Burrow has already been involved in the process.

As most fans could reasonably guess, the Cincinnati Bengals have again firmly involved Joe Burrow in the offseason process.

That includes looping in Burrow on major offseason items on the to-do list such as possible extensions for Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and even Trey Hendrickson.

This week, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway at the scouting combine that he has already met with Burrow about the offseason plan.

Conway added this: “They have an honest conversation about what can/can’t be done. Now we wait and see who stays and who goes.”

RELATED: Horrific Cincinnati Bengals injury update changes draft plans

Burrow has implied as much in the past, but it feels especially notable to point this out right now.

Burrow, after all, had been adamant across most of his public interviews near the end of the season about wanting Higgins back in the fold. So, his conversations with the team have undoubtedly focused on the possibility of keeping both Chase and Higgins long-term.

Reporting around the time of Burrow’s repeated Higgins comments suggested the Big 3 had all been plotting out a way to stay together, too.

For various reasons already outlined, the Bengals have the cap room and reason to extend both star wideouts this offseason. Whether that was plotted out to Burrow in discussions is interesting to consider, to say the least.

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Duke Tobin’s Trey Hendrickson comments — cause for concern?

A key member of the Bengals had some interesting Trey Hendrickson comments.

The Cincinnati Bengals quietly have a problem brewing with star defensive end Trey Hendrickson.

While the spotlight shines on possible extensions for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals are one offseason removed from Hendrickson’s trade request over dissatisfaction with his contact.

Justified frustration or not, Hendrickson erupted to an NFL-best 17.5 sacks this season, likely upping his extension demands this offseason.

That topic came up this week at the Senior Bowl with Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin.

“Has he earned a pay raise and a bump in an extension … he has,” Tobin said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway. “We’re cognizant of that, and we will give that to him. But whether we agree on what that looks like is, is what is to be determined.”

RELATED: Horrific Cincinnati Bengals injury update changes draft plans

That last part of the quote caused a ruckus amongst fans on social media, as Tobin hinting player and team might not see eye to eye on the contract talks seemed concerning.

Realistically, it feels like Tobin was going for blunt honestly, which should probably be applauded.

More concerning? One could view it as Tobin passing the ball to the front office. He’s the scouting guy — not a member of the brass in the front office responsible for doing the contracts and writing the checks.

In other words, Tobin agrees Hendrickson deserves a pay raise. What the front office decides that looks like for a 30-year-old veteran, though, could have a pretty big impact on Tobin’s roster-building process, to put it bluntly.

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Bengals’ Duke Tobin spotted getting close look at top NFL draft prospect

The Bengals seem to have a close eye on a specific name at the Senior Bowl.

NFL mock drafts already have the Cincinnati Bengals keying on Ole Miss interior defensive lineman Walter Nolen.

It would appear the Bengals themselves like the idea, too.

As pointed out in footage from the Senior Bowl, courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin was getting a close look at Nolen during drills.

RELATED: Horrific Cincinnati Bengals injury update changes draft plans

We could handwave this as due diligence on top prospects and move on to something else, sure.

But this one feels notable. The defense needs an overhaul under returning yet new coordinator Al Golden and still needs to massage the wound of losing DJ Reader.

A disruptive, 6’3″, 304-pound-prospect like Nolen would fit nicely in a multi-front attack already boasting prospects Kris Jenkins Jr. and McKinnley Jackson

If mock drafts weren’t enough, Tobin himself getting a close look should clue in fans to keeping tabs on Nolen all spring.

 

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Duke Tobin’s comments on Dax Hill’s position change say it all for Bengals

Former first-round pick Dax Hill has everyone’s attention at training camp.

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Dax Hill has been a fast riser at training camp this year after making the position change.

Onlookers don’t need much in the way of explanation from the team or analysts on that one — the former first-round pick was making big plays during the preseason opener and has been working over former second-rounder DJ Turner in practice.

But it sure doesn’t hurt to hear huge praise from Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin, either.

“You can see that he’s really starting to get comfortable out there,” Tobin said, according to Dan Hoard. “He’s showing us the traits that he can be an outstanding corner in this league.”

Moving Hill off safety to the boundary cornerback spot was one of the biggest points of emphasis for the Bengals this offseason. They added Geno Stone in free agency to seek another possible Jessie Bates replacement and brought back veteran Vonn Bell to help fix the communication woes from last year and mentor the breakout candidate Jordan Battle.

So far, the move has paid off in a big way and the Bengals emerge as huge winners from the ordeal. Hill indeed looks like a prototypical boundary corner and it could mean having a first-rounder across from Cam Taylor-Britt for the future, while the combination of Turner and breakout rookie Josh Newton fight for snaps in the slot. Given how important the fourth corner is in Lou Anarumo’s scheme, these developments are good news for the present and future.

Obviously, this is great news for Hill, too, as he heads into his third season and the decision on his fifth-year option comes into focus.

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Longtime NFL scout Bill Tobin dies at 83

The Bengals honor Bill Tobin.

Bill Tobin, father of Cincinnati Bengals current director of player personnel Duke Tobin, has passed away at the age of 83.

Tobin had a career in the NFL as an area scout that lasted 50 years and he worked with the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions in that time. He’s best known for being involved with drafting many players who were on the 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl-winning team.

“He was a true NFL success story,” said Bengals President Mike Brown via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “He was a good person and I considered him a good friend. With Bill, I respected everything he said. I just took it as a given. He had an eye for players and what they would develop into. If he said the guy was a good player, then he was a good player; that’s all I would need to know. We will miss him.”

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Tobin acted as a mentor in the Bengals department as his son was rising in the ranks of the organization. Bengals director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic said having him there to help was important for his career.

“He was one of the best. I was fortunate to start my career in the NFL with him as a mentor,” Radicevic said. “He took me under right away. Showed me how to evaluate players. I watched tape with him early on. He showed me what NFL players looked like. He shared his wisdom of the game and knowledge of it. He showed us his ways. I’ll always be grateful for that.”

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Sam Hubbard played through injury late in the season

Duke Tobin with some thoughts on Sam Hubbard’s effort.

Now that the season is over, it’s a good time for players to recover from some injuries that they suffered over the long season.

Cincinnati Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said Sam Hubbard is doing just that after apparently having surgery on an undisclosed injury he was dealing with late in the year. The defensive end played through the injury and Tobin seemed extremely impressed that he still went out every week to try to give the Bengals a chance at the playoffs.

“He was just a warrior and played through things most human beings wouldn’t play through and gave us the opportunity to go out there with a chance to win,” Tobin said. “That’s what Sam Hubbard is all about.”

The Bengals dealt with major injuries all season, most notably to quarterback Joe Burrow who had to miss most of the second half of the year due to wrist surgery. He apparently wasn’t the only one dealing with an injury that needed to be surgically repaired, but Hubbard powered through.

Cincinnati finished with a winning record this season, but if everyone is able to get healthy and stay healthy next season, it will be a very different team than what the Bengals were playing as late in the season.

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Bengals’ Duke Tobin talks about a Ja’Marr Chase contract extension

Ja’Marr Chase contract extension season has started.

The Cincinnati Bengals sound like a team ready to do whatever it takes to keep Ja’Marr Chase for the long-term.

Speaking with reporters at the Senior Bowl this week, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin made that much clear.

“We like Ja’Marr. He’s in our long-term plans. He’s a high-level player in this league. And we want to keep those kinds of players on our team,” Tobin said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I want Tee Higgins back. Everyone on our team would like Tee Higgins back. There’s a pie and there are things we can do and can’t do because of it. We’ll see.”

There’s not much reading between the lines necessary here, considering Tobin is normally pretty secretive about the team’s intentions. But this one is so obvious, why try to hide it?

The task is easier said than done when it comes to an extension, of course. The front office has to think about an extension or franchise tag for Tee Higgins, while Chase himself has said he wants to wait on names around the league such as Justin Jefferson.

But until further notice, most Chase questions directed at the Bengals will have very similar answers.

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Bengals’ Duke Tobin comments on Tee Higgins franchise tag rumors and speculation

Duke Tobin speaks on possibly franchise tagging Tee Higgins.

The Cincinnati Bengals have a tough call to make with wide receiver Tee Higgins this offseason.

Higgins, slated to be a free agent, is an obvious franchise tag candidate after player and team couldn’t agree to a long-term extension last offseason.

And while it’s easy to dismiss the whole situation as an obvious tag-and-forget situation, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin isn’t exactly ready to confirm that it will happen.

Here’s what Tobin told Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer on that topic during an interview at the Senior Bowl:

He’s not under contract now so we’re going to have to work through how to do that and if it’s possible and we’ll have to go through the gymnastics of that. So it’s a different scenario than it was last year. Trading a high-level player that’s under contract just because the future might demand it, that’s never really on my mind. We’ll see what happens this year. I want Tee Higgins back. Everyone on our team would like to have Tee Higgins back. Again, there’s one pie and how big of a slice that takes and what else we can’t do because of it, we’ll have to determine, and we’ll see.

The vague reply isn’t a shocker from Tobin, who outside of his “get your own” comments about Higgins last year in response to illogical trade rumors, usually keeps a lid on things.

Cincinnati can place a tag on Higgins from February 5 to March 20, which will cost the team roughly $21.7 million of its ample cap space. Otherwise, he’ll head to free agency.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has commented that he discussed the long-term plan with the team before signing his own major extension, which presumably includes plans for Higgins. Beyond the price tag though, Tobin and Co. will have to look at factors such as Higgins’ injury history and the fact they drafted multiple receivers last year, among others.

If the Bengals do tag Higgins, it’s extremely doubtful they do a tag-and-trade scenario.

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