CINCINNATI — Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested a few intriguing candidates to keep an eye out for NFL general manager openings in the upcoming offseason, and Cincinnati had two names make the cut: Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin and Senior Personnel Executive Trey Brown.
Brown has played a variety of positions throughout the NFL and has influenced the Bengals’ three-year roster run.Over the last three years, Brown has been a crucial component of the Bengals’ development, according to Breer. Cincinnati is making a concerted effort to capitalise on Joe Burrow’s rookie contract window in order to assemble a group capable of winning championships in 2021 and 2022, and they may even be able to qualify for the postseason even without its quarterback for a significant portion of this season. Brown and other well-liked men with responsibilities, including Mike Potts and Steve Radicevic, offer good experience for greater tasks. In addition, Brown has held positions of decision-making in the AAF and XFL and has worked for Bill Belichick in New England and Howie Roseman in Philadelphia. His connections to Jerod Mayo may one day bring him full round to the Patriots.
Tobin, who joined the Bengals in 1999, is essentially Cincinnati’s acting general manager.
“Like Will McClay of the Dallas Cowboys, he works for a company where the owner keeps the title of general manager. As such, he performs many GM-like duties even though he is not the official GM. Nevertheless, Tobin guided the Bengals’ personnel department through two separate builds—the first centred on Andy Dalton and the second on Joe Burrow—with various coaches and great success. In addition, he has a lot on his plate due to the limited scouting crew, but he has demonstrated the capacity to handle it all. Nevertheless, he feels at home in Cincinnati. And why go when Burrow is there?
