Ever since the homerun that was Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, and Logan Wilson in the first, second, and third rounds, the Cincinnati Bengals have drafted poorly. This not only puts de facto GM Duke Tobin on the hot seat, but it also puts the whole setup of the front office on the hot seat.
So, what are the Bengals to do?
Should they make a subtle change, sweeping changes, or stay on the path?
It is tough to judge who will be a good head coach, because what makes you a good coordinator doesn’t always make you a good head coach.
It is even harder to determine who will be a good general manager because we see next to nothing of what these people do. Their work is behind the scenes.
It is even more confusing when you consider how different the Bengals are. I mean, are we even talking about a real general manager position here? Then there is the size of the scouting department and the involvement of coaches.
It’s not for everyone.
Maybe it is for one of these guys. They all come from NFL organizations that have consistently put talented groups on the field year in and year out.
Alexander has 26 years of NFL experience, coming up through the Baltimore Ravens organization as a scout and later director of player personnel. He moved to the New York Jets, where he had the same title and was involved in some excellent moves, including the selection of Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson. He then headed to Los Angeles to work with another Harbaugh.
Alexander’s father, Hubbard, was a coach for over 40 years. He had some big-time college assistant jobs as well as roles with the Cowboys, Vikings, Saints, and the Cincinnati Marshals of the NIFL
Alex Halaby – Assistant General Manager – Philadelphia Eagles
Alec Halaby started as an intern with the Eagles in 2007 and consistently climbed up the ranks. He spent 6 years as the Vice President of Football Operations and Strategy before being named Assistant General Manager in 2022.
In his 16 years with the Eagles, Halaby has been credited with merging analytical evaluation with scouting reports to predict outcomes.
He’s a Harvard grad, but I am sure the family of Dartmouth grads who own the Bengals could overlook that.
Mike Greenberg – Assistant General Manager – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Mike Greenberg’s career mirrors Halaby’s pretty closely.
He started out with the Buccaneers as a Player Personnel Assistant in 2010. He quickly moved up to the Coordinator of Football Administration, then, after 8 years as the Director of Football Administration, he became the Vice President of Football Administration.
In 2023, he was named Assistant General Manager and specializes in salary cap management.
John McKay – Assistant General Manager – Los Angeles Rams
Zac Taylor was Duke Tobin’s guy. What if the next “GM” is Taylor’s guy?
McKay started with the Rams as a scouting assistant in 2016. In the two years that Taylor was in Los Angeles, McKay was a Pro Scout. He quickly moved p to the Assistant Director of Pro Scouting then the Director of Pro Scouting before becoming the Assistant General Manager this year.
McKay has a strong football lineage as the son of Atlanta Falcons CEO Rich McKay and grandson of former USC coach John McKay.
Trey Brown – Assistant General Manager – Cincinnati Bengals
Let’s face it, this is the most likely scenario.
Trey Brown is a name we hear in the offseason when he gets general manager interviews, and we are told how unfortunate it will be if the Bengals lose him.
Well, if he is so talented that other teams want him, maybe they should keep him around.
Brown spent time as a scout with both the Patriots and Eagles (not bad), then had larger roles with the Eagles, Birmingham Iron, and St. Louis BattleHawks before joining the Bengals as a scout.
Unlike the other candidates, Brown has experience with different teams and an understanding of how this front office works.
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