Watch Off the Bench Presented by UDF with Chatterbox Sports Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. LIVE on the Chatterbox Sports YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE to the channel to ensure you never miss a thing. In todays episode of OTB we talk about the Cincinnati Bengals big combine presser with Duke Tobin and Zac Taylor. Both had lots of things to say about the season last year and the offseason as a whole. On February 25, 2025, Cincinnati Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin and Head Coach Zac Taylor spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, offering insights into the team’s offseason plans. Their comments centered heavily on retaining key players like Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson, echoing quarterback Joe Burrow’s public stance on keeping the core intact. Tobin expressed full alignment with Burrow, stating he hasn’t heard anything from the quarterback he disagrees with, emphasizing a shared desire to reward top talent with contracts matching their production. He acknowledged the challenge of balancing these extensions with roster-building needs but sounded confident, noting the team’s cap space and ownership’s support under Katie Blackburn. Taylor complemented this optimism, calling the task of signing elite players “champagne problems”—a preferable dilemma to lacking talent. He highlighted Burrow’s leadership, both vocal and private, in pushing for continuity, reinforcing a unified vision among the front office, coaching staff, and franchise quarterback. Tobin doubled down on Chase as a priority, predicting he’d become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback, while also expressing a desire to extend Hendrickson, though he admitted no deal was imminent. For Higgins, facing a franchise tag decision by March 4, both stressed their intent to keep him, with Tobin framing it as a strategic imperative. Beyond contracts, they addressed the team’s championship-caliber potential, with Tobin hinting at broader ambitions beyond just re-signing stars. Taylor’s “champagne problems” quip suggested confidence in navigating the financial puzzle. However, the lack of a backup plan if negotiations falter raised eyebrows, hinting at an all-in approach. Their remarks painted a picture of a franchise banking on its current nucleus, leaning on Burrow’s influence, and betting big on continuity to chase a Super Bowl in 2025. Whether they can execute remains the looming question.