\u201cI think we\u2019re capable of it, but we\u2019ve got to find the solutions to win and produce in the critical moments of games,\u201d Tobin said. \u201cThe last two seasons have been derailed by critical moment execution errors. We have to find the group of 11 to put out there that will execute in the critical moments and I believe that we\u2019ll do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tobin said the Bengals need to be aggressive in free agency, but they have to hit on draft picks, as well. They have been successful in both aspects of roster building in the past, but when free-agent signings like defensive linemen DJ Reader, Trey Hendrickson and Larry Ogunjobi and cornerbacks Chidoze Awuzie and Mike Hilton helped them get to the Super Bowl in 2021, they had Joe Burrow, Ja\u2019Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on rookie deals.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not the case now, but Tobin said they should still be able to sign impactful free agents.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s 31 teams all looking at the same guys,\u201d Tobin said. \u201cYou got to identify the right ones, then get them done. And you\u2019re talking about, you know, BJ Hill and Larry Ogunjobi and Trey Hendrickson, all guys brought in by our scouting department, all guys identified by our scouting department, recommended by our scouting department, and all worked out well. Can that happen? Yes, it could happen. We got to find the right guys. They got to be available to us. They got to be open to coming to Cincinnati, and we\u2019ve got to work out the contract. Those are all ifs. We\u2019re not there yet. We\u2019re not sure who\u2019s available, what the options are, but yes, we\u2019re open to improving our football team in any way that we can.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bengals showed a willingness to try to change this season when they made the trade for Joe Flacco in Week 6. Tobin said there weren\u2019t a lot of options to help fix the defense, though. They were counting on more production out of young players.<\/p>\n
Tobin clarified that it\u2019s not sustainable to build a team in free agency every year. Cincinnati has not gotten enough impact from top draft picks in recent years, and he said when the Bengals miss on a guy, it falls on him. <\/p>\n
It takes continued collaboration, he said, to get those decisions correct moving forward, but he has to steer the ship in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to have your young guys come on,\u201d Tobin said. \u201cYou have to. And whether it\u2019s a one-year progression, two-year progression, three-year progression, those guys have to come on. If they don\u2019t come on, that\u2019s my fault. We\u2019ve taken the wrong guys. We\u2019re no longer drafting guys for second contracts and so forth. We need guys that come in and can give us some help right away and then grow into bigger roles quickly. We need that.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about the size of the scouting department \u2014 the smallest in the NFL \u2014 Tobin said it\u2019s not about volume, and bad decisions made were not because of a lack of information.<\/p>\n
![\"Cincinnati](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/R6IT67CFUFCJNF74Z5OWOTJJOI.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Credit: AP<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Credit: AP<\/p>\n
He spoke highly of the knowledge and collaboration among decision-makers, scouts and coaches, but said he understands that fans probably don\u2019t believe in his ability to lead after three straight years missing the playoffs and just five playoff wins in his tenure since joining the Bengals in 1999.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I can do is work us out of it,\u201d Tobin said. \u201cWe have done it before. … We can add to the team in a lot of different areas. We have excellent scouts who give us the analysis. It\u2019s on us to make the right decisions.\u201d <\/p>\n
Tobin said the entire staff will spend the offseason assessing what went right and what went wrong, and they will work together to find solutions. However, when asked what needs to change, he only pointed at the obvious need to win more games.<\/p>\n
The Bengals were impacted this season by having their top-paid player on both sides of the ball miss nine games, with Joe Burrow needing turf toe surgery after his Week 2 injury and Trey Hendrickson sidelined the second half because of hip and pelvis injuries.<\/p>\n