The Cincinnati Bengals are in offseason mode and are busy constructing a roster they hope can contend for a Super Bowl in 2026 to show ‘21 and ‘22 were the standard, and that the last three seasons were just bad outliers.
The team that will be observing the college players at the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl will have a few new faces who were hired last spring.
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“More efficient and more eyes on more players,” is what assistant GM Mike Potts said, per Geoff Hobson. “Multiple looks at more players on both the college and pro side, and that’s by way of seeing them in individual on visits and watching them on tape as effectively.”
The new additions to the department, added final spring, are veteran scouts Josh Hinch and Tyler Ramsey, in addition to scouting analysis analyst Trey LaBounty.
While Hinch and Ramsey will act as conventional scouts, LaBounty will strive to carry the league’s smallest scouting department into the twenty first century through the use of know-how to assist them be extra environment friendly.
“Guys who are maybe more under the radar that we haven’t got as much of a look at,” LaBounty stated. “Guys who got flagged for some reason, statistically, or whatever made them pop up. ‘Hey, this is a guy you should take a look at. Maybe this guy’s not worth taking a look at.‘ Kind of like a filter. Time is precious.”
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According to Hobson, LaBounty, together with software developer Tyler Gross, has been embedded with the Bengals’ scouting department to get a greater thought of precisely what they’re searching for in hopes of giving cleaner information at a sooner tempo to the individuals who make the choices.
This is without doubt one of the, if not the, most essential offseasons within the group’s historical past. With Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and coming off two consecutive AFC Championship video games and a Super Bowl, expectations have been sky-high. The Bengals have failed to meet these expectations for 3 years, and followers are getting stressed.
Hopefully, Hinch, Ramsey, and LaBounty are ready to push the league’s smallest scouting department in the correct route.