These days, the Cincinnati Bengals are synonymous with a star quarterback who led them to a recent Super Bowl appearance. And they have high hopes for the 2024 season. So this seems like a great time to trot out a list of the 10 greatest Bengals of all time.
The Bengals history started in the mid-1960s as former Cleveland Browns' head coach, Paul Brown, campaigned for an NFL franchise in The Queen City. Finally, Brown got his way. And in 1968 the Cincinnati Bengals were born. He named the team after Cincinnati’s former pro football team, called the Bengals, that played in the 1930s and 1940s.
Success followed. In 1970, the Bengals secured the AFC Central Division title and became the first expansion team to win its division in its first three years. Since then, the Bengals made it to three Super Bowls, posting an 0-3 mark.
Bengals DT Geno Atkins earned spot No. 5
Atkins, a fourth-round pick in 2010, turned into a draft-day steal for the Bengals. He played 11 years for the team, and stood out in all but his final season.
The 6-1, 300-pounder played his college ball at the University of Georgia.
10. RB James Brooks
Cat-quick, explosive, and versatile, Brooks’s career accelerated when he came to the Bengals after three ho-hum seasons in San Diego.
Eventually he earned the distinction of being, pound-for-pound, one of the toughest Bengals in franchise history. Certainly, he was a great dual threat, ending his career as the team’s all-time leading rusher with 6,447 yards and standing sixth on the receptions list with 297.
Brooks benefitted from the newness of the Bengals’ no-huddle offense, especially when he ran crisp routes out of the backfield that NFL linebackers couldn’t cover. And he still ranks in the top 20 with a career average of 4.7 yards per carry.
9. T Willie Anderson
For a franchise that produced a player like Anthony Munoz, it might have been easy for Anderson to get lost in the shuffle. But his run-blocking skills and granite-like pass protection made him a force.
He hit his stride in 2003, earning his first All-Pro honor on the second team. He followed up with three straight first-team All-Pro selections. From 2000-06, he started every one of the Bengals’ 112 regular season games. For his career, he played in 195 games, including a reliable 184 starting assignments.
Former Bengals standout Andrew Whitworth told bengals.com that Anderson deserves to be in the Hall of Fame
“Without question,” said Amazon Prime's Whitworth as he checked in on Radio Row this week. “A lot of guys who are in the Hall of Fame as linemen that if Willie isn't in, it doesn't make sense. If you look at his era, he was the best right tackle in football. To me, if you're one of the best at what you do, you're a Hall of Famer.
“You see plenty of defensive linemen, plenty of linemen, say that. The best right tackle in his era. So you should be in the Hall of Fame.”
8. CB Ken Riley
Quite simply, Riley could be described as a pick machine. He is the Bengals' all-time leader in interceptions with 65. Also, he finished with 596 interception return yards and five defensive touchdowns.
Riley produced three All-Pro selections. And his third probably was the most impressive. In 1983, in his 15th and final season, he picked off eight passses and returned two for touchdowns.
Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown said the 5-11, 181-pounder — who wasn’t selected until the sixth round in 1969 — was “a model football player and a real gentleman. Youngsters would do well to pattern themselves after him.”
7. RB Corey Dillon
Just don’t ask Dillon whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame or the Bengals Ring of Honor. You can follow that story here:
Let’s just look at the reasons for him grabbing a spot on the ClutchPoints top 10 list. He is the Bengals all-time leading rusher with 8,061 yards and earned four Pro Bowl selections. He once held the NFL single-game rushing record, going off for 278 yards against the Broncos in 2000.
For his career, Dillon totaled 11,241 rushing yards and 82 touchdowns. A 6-1 and 225 pounds he turned into bruising efforts but could also run away from defenders. He had speed, strength, and durability — including three straight years where he started every game.
6. QB Ken Anderson
The NFL’s most valuable player in 1981, Anderson earned four Pro Bowl honors and led the league in passer rating four times.
Considered a precision passer, Anderson turned in an off-the-charts performance in 1981 when he passed for 3,754 yards with 29 touchdowns and led the Bengals to the Super Bowl.
For his career, he completed 59.3% of his passes for with 32,838 yards and 197 touchdowns.
Mike Brown, who scouted Anderson at Division III Augustana College, often said if Munoz is the best player in Bengals’ history then Anderson is the most important.
“He played the most important position and he played it well,” Brown said. “We were competitive with anybody when he was going at his peak. I remember the Super Bowl game with him at quarterback up in Detroit. To this day I think we were the better team. We just didn't win. He played well.”
5. DT Geno Atkins
When a defensive tackle wreaks havoc, offenses tend to have trouble doing just about anything. So when teams played the Bengals, offenses often found themselves trying to plug holes in gaps. Atkins simply had a knack for collapsing the pocket.
Atkins earned eight Pro Bowl honors and twice grabbed spots as a first-team All-Pro. For his career, he totaled 75.5 sacks — a record for a Bengals interior lineman.
And he did it quietly. His coach Marvin Lewis told espn.com that Atkins didn’t have a lot to say.
“He's such a man of few words, but he goes out and performs and plays and is productive in both the run and the pass, and he gets recognized for it,” Lewis said. “And that's great. I think people recognize what he does week and week out.”
4. WR Chad Johnson (Ochocinco)
Flamboyant? Check. Loudmouth? Check. Good receiver? Check. Great football player? Check.
Yep. Eighty-five (or the poor translation attempt by Johnson of Ochocinco) did it all in the early part of the new century. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Johnson led the AFC with 1,369 receiving yards in 2006 for his best season.
From 2002-07, he turned in six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons and had at least 87 catches every year. He also had at least seven touchdown catches in each of those seasons. Postseason honors came in the form of three All-Pro selections and six spots on Pro Bowl teams.
Johnson finished as the franchise’s all-time leader in receiving yards (10,783) and touchdowns (66).
Also, Johnson earned a distinction for his production but also his flashy celebrations and big-time catches. Because of this combination, many consider him to be one of the most iconic Bengals players of all time.
3. WR A.J. Green
Success came early and often for the 2011 first-round pick (No. 4 overall). Green turned in a 1,000-yard receiving season as a rookie and earned the first of seven straight Pro Bowl honors.
In 2012-13 he earned second-team All-Pro honors while totaling 2,776 yards receiving to go along with a staggering 195 catches and 22 touchdowns.
Green finished his career as the Bengals’ second all-time leading receiver with 9,430 yards. Pristine route running and a flair for dramatic and spectacular catches permeated his time in Cincinnati. He had plenty of size at 6-4 and 207 pounds, complemented by his speed.
But did Green gather enough numbers to be worthy of a Hall of Fame induction? No, lead instructor of “The Football Leanirng Academy” Ken Crippen told talkoffametwo.com.
“Is A.J. Green a Hall of Famer?” Crippen asked. “I would say, ‘No.’ He never led the league in any statistical category throughout his career. He had the potential to be great, but injuries hampered his career. But, in my opinion, he did not do enough to warrant a bust in Canton.”
2. QB Boomer Esiason
Leadership comes in many forms, and Esiason earned his followers with a charismatic touch. His breakout season came in 1988, when he passed for 3,572 yards with 28 touchdown tosses as was chosen as the league’s MVP.
En route, he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl and a tough loss to the 49ers — thanks to this play.
For his career, Esiason threw for 37,920 yards with 247 touchdowns.
Concinnati owner Mike Brown told cincinnati.com that Esiason allowed the Bengals to implement the no-huddle offense, which helped them reach Super Bowl XXIII.
“He could take the theory and make it work on the field,” Brown said. “A wonderful leader, he had the trust of, and belief of his teammates. And he could make this concept work in the reality of the NFL. He could just go out and direct the team and make it go.”
1. OT Anthony Munoz
Not just the Bengals’ greatest of all-time, Munoz is considered the best tackle in NFL history by numerous observers.
Pro Football Network wrote, “Most lists have Anthony Muñoz at No. 1, and for good reason. Few players in NFL history were better at their position than Muñoz. He was the total package, dominating defenders with size, athleticism, and perfect technique. Overall, Muñoz racked up 11 Pro Bowl nods and nine first-team All-Pro selections. Once he entered his prime, he never really left it. To this day, Muñoz is considered the gold standard at left tackle.”
Detroit took running back Billy Sims with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft. The New York Jets followed with the selection of wide receiver Lam Jones. And that brought the 6-6, 278-pound Munoz to Cincinnati. Munoz used strength, technique, and leadership to anchor the Bengals' offensive line for 13 seasons. He slotted as a first-team All-Pro nine times and earned 11 Pro Bowl honors.
Simply put, Munoz could do it all. Every part of the offensive line game became a strength for him.
Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith told esquire.com that Munoz did everything right. Another defensive lineman said, “He didn’t even need to study to block me. He could block me in his sleep. And yet, when I faced him, he knew where I was going before I did.”
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