Super Bowl LX showcased why Duke Tobin needs to fulfill his desires for the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason
Cincinnati’s thirst for pass rush has only grown stronger following Seattle’s Super Bowl victory.
The Seattle Seahawks may’ve scored 29 points, but their defense was the main reason why they won Super Bowl LX.
Seattle made New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s life a living nightmare for four quarters, sacking him six times and holding him to -0.32 EPA/play. New England was shut out through three quarters of the biggest game of the season, and the weather had nothing to do with it. The Seahawks suffocated them when it mattered, and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy as a result.
It’s even more proof, if further proof was even needed, that the Cincinnati Bengals need to make sure director of player personnel Duke Tobin backs up his words later this offseason.
Seahawks’ Super Bowl win shows why Bengals need more pass-rushing juice
There’s a poll at the bottom of this article asking what Cincinnati’s biggest need is at the moment. The correct answer is pass rush. The Bengals have needed help in this area for several years to go alongside defensive end Trey Hendrickson. Now that Hendrickson’s future is up in the air (again), the need has only grown.
Tobin didn’t say much in his end-of-season press conference last month despite talking for over an hour, but he did make sure to let everyone know how he feels about rushing the passer.
“Successful defenses, in my opinion, they have to be able to pressure the passer,” Tobin said. “You’d like to be able to pressure with four. I think we need pass rush. I think that relieves some of the strain on the coverage.
“Pass rush is king, and you always need to be layering in pass rusher.”
You want to finally win a ring? Get multiple guys who can torment the passer. Cincinnati has just about one on its roster who can kind of do that right now. DE Myles Murphy made a leap in the second half of his third season with the Bengals, but if Hendrickson leaves, there’s no one else on the edge who’s a proven winner. Between the tackles, there’s also nobody at defensive tackle who can disrupt a pocket with consistency.
Cincy’s best chance at finding those answers immediately lie in free agency, or an out-of-left-field trade for Maxx Crosby, but Seattle found pass-rushing production from multiple angles through the NFL Draft as well. 2024 first-rounder Byron Murphy II and 2023 second-rounder Derick Hall each sacked Maye twice from the interior and edge, respectively. 2023 first-rounder Devon Witherspoon came from a slot blitz to find his sack. 2025 fifth-rounder Rylie Mills got home once as well.
It was a clinic controlling the game through a dominant defensive line, and all the more reason why the Bengals need to bolster their unit by any means necessary this offseason.
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