As 12 NFL teams prepare for playoff games in the coming days, the Cincinnati Bengals are making a different plan going into the offseason.The Bengals missed the playoffs for the third straight season in 2025, finishing with a 6-11 overall record, with many of those losses accumulated when quarterback Joe Burrow missed more than two months with a toe injury.Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin spoke for over an hour on Friday, dissecting what went wrong for Cincinnati this season and how the organization plans to return the Bengals to the playoffs in 2026.So, in Tobin’s eyes, what went wrong for the Bengals in 2025 and what is the team currently missing? “Depends on the part of the season that you talk about, even this year, within this own season,” Tobin said. “We really struggled to stop the run and that opened up everything else in an offense. We played good offenses; it’s not an excuse.”Tobin referenced the absence of defensive end Trey Hendrickson for much of the season. The star edge rusher played in only seven games and didn’t play a snap for the Bengals after Oct. 26.Hendrickson’s absence likely contributed to the Bengals allowing 2,500 yards rushing, which ranked last in the NFL. Opponents also rushed for 18 touchdowns and 5.2 yards per attempt on the ground, which ranked among the NFL’s worst in 2025.Tobin did mention positive development from some of the defense, as well, including defensive end Myles Murphy, the team’s young cornerbacks (DJ Turner, Dax Hill) and safety Jordan Battle, who appear to be foundational pieces of the defensive unit moving forward.“The one thing we really need, is we need those guys or somebody else to take on a leadership role and demand the accountability and demand the execution,” Tobin said. “We need more leadership. We have tons of leadership on the offensive side of the ball. We need somebody, multiple people, to step up and lead that group from within our team.”

CINCINNATI —

As 12 NFL teams prepare for playoff games in the coming days, the Cincinnati Bengals are making a different plan going into the offseason.

The Bengals missed the playoffs for the third straight season in 2025, finishing with a 6-11 overall record, with many of those losses accumulated when quarterback Joe Burrow missed more than two months with a toe injury.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin spoke for over an hour on Friday, dissecting what went wrong for Cincinnati this season and how the organization plans to return the Bengals to the playoffs in 2026.

So, in Tobin’s eyes, what went wrong for the Bengals in 2025 and what is the team currently missing?

“Depends on the part of the season that you talk about, even this year, within this own season,” Tobin said. “We really struggled to stop the run and that opened up everything else in an offense. We played good offenses; it’s not an excuse.”

Tobin referenced the absence of defensive end Trey Hendrickson for much of the season. The star edge rusher played in only seven games and didn’t play a snap for the Bengals after Oct. 26.

Hendrickson’s absence likely contributed to the Bengals allowing 2,500 yards rushing, which ranked last in the NFL. Opponents also rushed for 18 touchdowns and 5.2 yards per attempt on the ground, which ranked among the NFL’s worst in 2025.

Tobin did mention positive development from some of the defense, as well, including defensive end Myles Murphy, the team’s young cornerbacks (DJ Turner, Dax Hill) and safety Jordan Battle, who appear to be foundational pieces of the defensive unit moving forward.

“The one thing we really need, is we need those guys or somebody else to take on a leadership role and demand the accountability and demand the execution,” Tobin said. “We need more leadership. We have tons of leadership on the offensive side of the ball. We need somebody, multiple people, to step up and lead that group from within our team.”