After seemingly doing little in free agency to upgrade the roster on that side of the ball, they have to hit on defensive picks in the draft. Cincinnati has the No. 17 pick in the first round Thursday and a total of six picks over the seven-round, three-day draft, which concludes Saturday.
“Defense is important and a lot of people believe defense wins championships and maybe that’s true, and if we get a little better over there, maybe we will,” Tobin said in a pre-draft press conference Monday at Paycor Stadium. “I believe that our football can win a championship, absolutely. … I’m proud of our football team and I want the rest of the city and the rest of league to be proud of it because it’s a unique group of guys. It really is. And we will add pieces that will elevate it, and defensively we have to elevate ourselves.”
Cincinnati retained most of its offense from 2024, but as good as the team was on that side of the ball, it wasn’t able to overcome monumental struggles on defense. The Bengals finished the season strong, but missed the playoffs for a second straight year, and the shortcomings led to an overhaul of the defensive staff.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
It seemed like the defensive roster would see a similar renovation. However, that wasn’t the case in free agency, as the organization instead invested mainly in bringing back players they still think can be better.
Perhaps this week’s draft will shed light on a bigger plan, but the Bengals have many needs to be addressed. Tobin and Bengals coach Zac Taylor on Monday both said they believe the Bengals’ approach to free agency put them in a good spot to execute new defensive coordinator Al Golden’s vision for his roster.
“Certainly we want to win a championship, and you got to have a championship level defense to do that,” Taylor said in a pre-draft press conference Monday at Paycor Stadium. “We have a lot of ingredients over there that help us go that direction, and you still have the draft to help yourself finalize that. So, I’m really encouraged by everybody we got in the building.”
The pass rush that sorely needed a boost saw no such thing, even as Sam Hubbard retired, and there is also uncertainty with the only consistent sack producer, while Trey Hendrickson still awaits an extension.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
At linebacker, Germaine Pratt requested a trade that hasn’t happened, and Cincinnati needs an upgrade there regardless. Issues exist at every level of the defense, and this week’s draft is a big chance to try to find solutions with new up-and-coming talent.
“We want our young guys to have a role,” Tobin said. “They’ve got to come in and advance the ball for us. That’s just the nature of the league we’re in right now.”
Tobin said there is “no real new information” on Hendrickson’s status or whether Cincinnati would still consider a trade, which the team gave him permission to seek earlier this offseason. Tobin said he has a lot of respect, regard and value for Hendrickson, but the future remains unclear going into the final year of his contract.
Hendrickson was not in attendance at the Bengals’ first day of offseason workouts Monday.
“The unknown is the unknown,” Tobin said when asked how that situation impacts the Bengals’ draft. “We operate with a lot of unknown. Sometimes, you can figure you have starters at all 22 positions and have five injuries. Those are unknowns as well. That’s the universe we operate in. We’re looking for the best players available when we go to pick, and that’s what we’ll focus on.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Regarding whether Pratt remains in the plans, Tobin said “we’ll see how it goes” but would not clarify if former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Oren Burks was brought in with the expectation he could be a starter in Golden’s system.
Tobin spent much time Monday discussing Golden’s vision and how he has worked with the scouting department to shape the Bengals’ draft board, which will be fine-tuned in the final hours leading up to the draft in an effort to find alignment among the decision-makers.
The draft could be a peek into what Golden has planned.
“We look at what we want to do and what’s available to us and what the best options are,” Tobin said. “We won’t take a guy who isn’t as good a player as a player at another position. If there was a clear difference, we are going to go with the guy who is a much better player. We do respect what our coaches want to do and try to find guys and identify guys who can fit those roles. Then it is on us to determine where the value is in the draft. We understand that a little more than the coaches. Where the guy might be available and might not be available and what order to take them in. There are guys we have identified as good Bengals fits and we’ll see if we can come out of this draft with them.”
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