CINCINNATI — The Bengals missed the playoffs for three straight seasons with Joe Burrow at quarterback, and in the NFL, that typically means somebody in a powerful position loses their job.
Not in Cincinnati, where the Bengals’ ownership decided to run it back with de facto general manager Duke Tobin and head coach Zac Taylor, as well as the vast majority of their staff.
Team president Mike Brown issued a statement of support for the two after the year, but that also served as a warning about the importance of seeing a return to contending in 2026.
The pressure increased exponentially when Tobin and his staff put together one of the most aggressive offseasons in recent Bengals history, setting up a year in which Taylor will be counted on to lead this team back to the playoffs for the first time since losing in the AFC Championship Game in the 2022 season.
“We think they deserve another opportunity to prove that we can do what we hope we can do,” executive vice president Katie Blackburn said Monday, sitting down with four local reporters, including The Athletic, inside the front offices of Paycor Stadium in advance of mandatory minicamp.
The Bengals’ overhaul of the defensive roster, led by a blockbuster acquisition of Dexter Lawrence and free-agent additions of Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen and Bryan Cook, pairs with an offense returning every starter and a healthy Burrow.
Taylor enters his eighth season as head coach with two years remaining on his contract. Does all this mean this year must be the year the Bengals return to the grand playoff stages?
“We obviously are hoping to have a successful season this year,” Blackburn said. “I know (Tobin and Taylor) want to do that as much as I want to do that. I can’t predict anything into the future, but we’re certainly counting on, right now, having a good season and going from there.”
The Bengals are banking on continuity with Tobin and Taylor, who sat next to each other and Brown at Taylor’s introductory news conference in January of 2019.
All three are still here, and even Burrow called this the most talented team he’s been on in the NFL. All the pieces that have been part of previous success and building to this point played a significant role in ending up in this critical season with the same two in charge.
“Both Zac and Duke are experienced guys with proven success and really good people,” Blackburn said. “We feel good about them for a lot of reasons. I think there’s also that element of consistency that hopefully will prove out to be beneficial, too. I think those are the things that we would rather try to take advantage of and build on rather than having to regroup and figure things out a little bit from scratch.”
Duke Tobin, Zac Taylor and Mike Brown at Taylor’s introductory news conference in 2019. The three are still here and looking to get back to the Super Bowl. (David Kohl / Imagn Images)
Blackburn was joined in this 30-minute interview by her daughter, Elizabeth, recently promoted to vice president. She pointed out that just because the changes weren’t in the form of anyone of significance losing their job, that doesn’t mean all systems are repeating as in the past.
“We are trying to take very measured steps to maximize our chances with known commodities,” Elizabeth Blackburn said. “We think we’ve made changes in certain processes, on the roster, behind the scenes, certain things that can lead to different outcomes. That’s hard sometimes to totally see. But certain change comes with big risk. And we think we’re in a good spot.”
Considering the state of the roster and focused expectations echoed throughout OTAs, Katie Blackburn feels the decision has panned out thus far.
“Obviously, the whole season is ahead of us,” she said. “But I would say that, to their credit, we had a good offseason. I think the team morale is good. I think everyone in the building is optimistic about the season and looking forward to it. Hopefully we’ll see the success we’re hoping to have.”