Duke Tobin explains how Bengals' newest personnel hire will help in an area where Cincinnati needs further growth

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 3:01 PM ET

The Cincinnati Bengals have officially hired three new members to their player personnel department. Josh Hinch and Tyler Ramsey have been hired as scouts, and Trey LaBounty has been hired as a scouting research analyst. Hinch and Ramsey's hirings were originally reported May 19, and LaBounty updated his LinkedIn profile earlier in the month.

Hinch and Ramsey will help replace what Christian Sarkisian is taking with him as he becomes the new general manager for the Northwestern athletic department. LaBounty will have a slightly different role, but an important one nonetheless.

LaBounty is an addition to Cincinnati's analytics department, which has been led by the club's director of football research, Sam Francis. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin says LaBounty will help out in more than just numbers, but his title is what it is for a reason.

"It broadens our base, and it will be a great opportunity to support our scouts with data and analytics as we're going through the process," Tobin told Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. "Trey's a guy who has a lot of upside in a different number of areas with his football background. He'll support the organization in a lot of different ways because of his versatility and skill set."

LaBounty's hire is also a major vote of confidence in Sam Francis, who has spearheaded the team's analytics usage and development.
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Cincinnati's personnel department is a bit on the small side and that includes Francis' analytics department. Sarkisian leaving possibly opened a door for the club to expand from a data research perspective along with two scouts to replace Sarkisian taking his talents to the college level for a promotion.

It's a tight-knit group under Tobin, who's always preferred it that way, but more valuable information is how to gain an edge in a league where the margins are getting thinner and thinner. LaBounty, who comes from being an analytics intern for the Buffalo Bills, should help give Cincinnati better insight on making roster and NFL Draft decisions.

Slow progress is still progress at the end of the day.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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