Trade! Sell! Buy! Cut! Draft!
Would you want to be Duke Tobin, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Director of Player Personnel, for a day?
Well, good news: you can be, with the latest of Paul Dehner Jr’s annual mock simulators.
Every year, the Bengals beat writer at The Athletic creates an interactive offseason spreadsheet.
It allows fans to play general manager, or Cincy’s equivalent, and ‘fix’ the team’s roster for next season.
How it works
With this choose-your-own-adventure exercise, now in its fifth year, you get to shape the team while operating within real-world constraints.
The simulator gives you options for selecting players – both current and new – at each position. You can also make cuts, add free agents, insert draft picks and extend players.
The cap adjusts automatically with every move you make. But you have to remember, there is only so much money to go around.
Available as a Google doc or Excel sheet, the tool provides an insight into what the front office at Paycor Stadium is grappling with right now.
It highlights the delicate balance between retaining talent, acquiring new players and managing financial resources.
Key considerations for 2025
This year, fantasy general managers have been allocated $32 million, about $12 million shy of the team’s actual cap number. This is actually realistic because annoyingly, the Bengals always save something for a rainy day.
First, you face important decisions about cut candidates like Sam Hubbard, Sheldon Rankins, Alex Cappa, Germaine Pratt and Geno Stone. If you make all eight of the cuts available to you, your war chest jumps by $50 million. Kerching!
Next up, should you extend Trey Hendrickson? Can you re-sign Tee Higgins? Or should you trade them for money and picks?
If you can strike a deal for Trey, for example, you lose your star pass rusher but another $16 million goes in your pocket.
You can then have some real fun and go shopping! As well as addressing your biggest roster needs – in the Bengals’ case, interior offensive line and pass rush – you can also strengthen your roster across the board.
Some names are contractually locked in, like Joe Burrow, but drop-down menus at most other positions give you current players, a selection of variously priced free agents and some draft picks to choose from. Each has his own price tag.
Like when you’re picking a fantasy football lineup, here is where you face some head-scratching dilemmas. It is all about how best to divvy up your dollars.
At edge, do you swoop in for Josh Sweat at $16 million? Save a few bob by acquiring Ajeez Ojulari for $7 million? Or re-sign Joseph Ossai for £5 million?
Decisions, decisions.
Give it a try
It is far from being an exact science but the simulator is great fun and gives you a little insight into the complexities involved in NFL roster management.
So Bengals fans, if you have yet to run a mock offseason, why not give it a go? It is definitely the most fun I have had with a spreadsheet. Just follow the links in Dehner’s article.
Right, I am now off to see if I have enough left in the pot for Teven Jenkins…
