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Cincinnati Bengals – Keep Atkins and Dunlap After 2018

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Dear Cincinnati Bengals ownership,

We don’t mean the ones from Cleveland when we say this: If you don’t re-sign Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap after this year, then you can eat browns and die.

Sincerely, the fans

This could be among your thoughts this offseason. With 2018 being the contract year for these two solid defensive line players, you’d have to think (well, pray) that Mike Brown and the Cincy bigwigs will bring their checkbook and pay Dunlap and Atkins some coin to keep them around for a few more seasons.

Why the Cincinnati Bengals Must Keep Dunlap and Atkins After 2018

Atkins is a six-time Pro Bowler, including the last four years straight. Dunlap has started every game since 2013. Barring injury, he should pass Eddie Edwards’ all-time franchise sack total of 83.5 (official and unofficial) within the next two years. You don’t want to lose those kinds of players – especially when the backups are unproven.

Ryan Glasgow tallied only 23 stops in his 2017 rookie campaign. Sam Hubbard, the third-round draft pick out of Ohio State, is still learning how to carry Dunlap’s laundry. They could develop into fine football players, but they aren’t ready yet.

If that weren’t enough, we’ve already seen how losing two quality guys can affect line play. The Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive line lost Andrew Whitworth (Los Angeles Rams) and Kevin Zeitler (Cleveland Browns) after the 2016 season. You could cliff-dive off the drop in production.

From ‘16 to ‘17, the team went from 13th in the NFL in rushing (110.6 yards per game) to 31st (85.4). That put more pressure on the passing game (which you never want to be forced into), and with a lack of playmakers, the results were predictable. The Cincinnati Bengals offense couldn’t move if they hired a fleet of U-Haul vans.

Now translate that to the defense. With Dunlap and Atkins leading the way, the Bengals were tied for 11th in the league with 41 sacks. Yes, the defense ranked near the bottom in rushing yards allowed, but the point is, how much worse do those numbers get if the two best big bodies blow town? If we lose these guys, opposing running backs will be five yards downfield before Vontaze Burfict can get suspended.

That’s our two cents. So Mike Brown, make us proud. Re-sign Dunlap and don’t go on an Atkins diet. We’ve been two to three wins away from the playoff conversation over the last couple of years. The continued presence of these two could mean making it … or waiting for the next Dunlap and Atkins to come along.

Which 5 Greatest Cincinnati Bengals Of All Time Could We Use in 2017?

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By now, you’ve probably seen the list of the 50 greatest Cincinnati Bengals of all time. Scanning that list is like going through old photo albums (kids, ask your parents) and reliving the best parts of your childhood.

Seeing some of those top 50 players (in their prime) back in action would be exciting. Let’s face it, there are some weak spots in our lineup that the greats could help us with. So we took a look at our position groups and came up with five of the best players who could be plugged in and immediately bump up our chances of making the playoffs – maybe more.

If you see names missing like Boomer, Ickey, or Ochocinco, it’s because they played at positions that have talent and/or depth in 2017, and thus wouldn’t make as big an impact. Let’s get to it.

 

5 Greatest Cincinnati Bengals of All Time That Could Help in 2017

5. Bob Johnson (center, 1968-1979) – Johnson didn’t get a lot of awards outside of his number being retired by the team. While that alone probably won’t impress many people, he was still the real deal. Seems like the unproven offensive line could use the consistency he brought to the team for 12 years.

4. Ken Riley (defensive back, 1969-1983) – One of the oddest things about Riley’s career was how overlooked it was. He never made the Pro Bowl, and there’s no bust in the Hall of Fame. However, his play speaks for itself. Someone of his caliber could really contribute to a secondary that’s good but not Make America Great. He snagged 65 picks over 15 years. He also brought in nine interceptions in 1976 during the NFL’s run-happy era. Most noteworthy, he still holds the franchise career records for interceptions, interception return yards, and picks returned for touchdowns.

3. Jim Breech (kicker, 1980-1992) – We’re high on rookie kicker Jake Elliott. However, since he hasn’t had a chance to prove himself yet, we want to plug in a kicker who could unquestionably fill a hole on the 2017 team. In his 13 seasons with the Bengals, Breech became Cincinnati’s all-time leading scorer with 1,151 points. He connected on 71.4 percent of his career field goals. That would’ve come in handy during the six games last year that either went into overtime, or Cincy lost by six points or less. Most of all, Breech could generate points under pressure (nine for nine on overtime field goals). Maybe Elliott can do the same.

2. Max Montoya (offensive guard, 1979-1989) – Talk about a steal. Montoya was a seventh-round pick who played more than a decade for the Cincinnati Bengals. Most noteworthy, he made the Pro Bowl four times. His work ethic and example would be key for the offensive line that seems pretty vanilla due to the losses of Kevin Zeitler and Andrew Whitworth.

1. Anthony Munoz (offensive tackle, 1980-1992) – Yeah, we know … the majority of men on this list are O-lineman. But even if we weren’t trying to use past greats to shore up a suspect line, few people doubt that Munoz’s presence would be a welcome sight. The 11-time Pro Bowler started 182 games in his career and was a brick wall against the rush. He even caught seven passes and scored four TDs, which would put a nice wrinkle in Cincy’s goal-line package. His remarkable toughness, skill and longevity are what put him at the top of the list of the greatest Cincinnati Bengals of all time.

So, which all-time Cincy players do you think are missing from this list?

Bengals Free Agency News – Winston Back In The Nati, Peko to Denver

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Well after a tough first day of Free Agency this past Thursday most Bengals fans are slowly stepping back from the ledge…slowly, very slowly. It seemed like the 2017 season was already over in the eyes of most Bengals fans after losing both OT Andrew Whitworth (to the Rams) and G Kevin Zeitler (to the Browns) in the same day.

On Friday the Bengals added a solid player and much needed depth to the offensive line by re-signing veteran OT Eric Winston to 1 year deal. Winston is the president of the NFL Players Association and started 2 games for the Bengals last season, he also has had experience playing Guard in the past so he also adds value in that way.

Long time DT Domata Peko is also headed out of Cincy as he signed a 2 year deal with the Denver Broncos on Saturday. Peko was an excellent teammate and a great guy in the community, it will be a bit weird seeing his long lion-like hair in another teams uniform. It looked like Peko had lost a bit of a step the past few seasons and the Bengals have good young depth coming up at defensive tackle with guys like Marcus Hardison, Andrew Billings and DeShawn Williams in addition to veterans Pat Sims and Brandon Thompson.

Bengals Free Agency News – Dre In, Whit and Zeit Out

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Well – good news and bad news in free agency so far.

Bad news first – the Cincinnati Bengals lost their two best offensive lineman to other teams on Thursday. Andrew Whitworth inked a 3-year, $36 million deal with the LA Rams.

Kevin Zeitler went even bigger (with a smaller team). KZ will spend the next 5 years with the Cleveland Browns, and get 60 million bucks for it. It’s kinda sad that the Bengals didn’t even make an offer for him. But it’s also not surprising – the Cincy brass traditionally doesn’t place a lot of value on offensive guards.

Given this departure of talent, it’s a good thing that quarterback Andy Dalton is under contract. Otherwise, he might blow town now that the two best players are gone from a line that allowed 41 sacks last season.

So, will the Bengals try to snag some bodies from the free agency field to replace the Whitworth-Zeitler protection agency? Or will they look to the draft to get some big uglies? Some names to remember include Minnesota Vikings (and former Bengal) OT Andre Smith, LSU  C/G Ethan Pocic, and Western Kentucky’s OT/G Forrest Lamp. Keep an eye out for them.

Now, The Good News

Dre Kirkpatrick signed a 5-year, $52.5 million contract Thursday. His presence is almost as big a gain to the secondary as Zeitler and Whitworth are a loss to the O-line. He provides stability to the defensive backfield and was a big reason why the Cincinnati Bengals tied for fourth in the NFL last year with 17 interceptions. Many wonder how or if this move will impact the future of CB Adam Jones, who has had off-the-field trouble.


Overall, this didn’t feel like a good day for Cincinnati. Losing Whitworth and Zeitel hurts no matter who the team signs to replace them. Getting Kirkpatrick is good and there are still plenty of quality players out there to be signed or drafted. But it still feels like a step back. And for a team that entered 2016 with playoff expectations and finished 6-9-1, any step back can be bad. Real bad.

Will the Bengals have back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2007-08? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Bengals Biggest Needs – Pre-Free Agency

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The free agency season is upon us.

And free agency is a funny thing. Maybe your team gets lucky and signs the right players. The best players. The ones who will get your fans high-fiving about how these new guys are the missing pieces who are needed to bring a championship. And yet, you can lose players just as easily as get them. When the dust settles, you may have filled three holes on the team and are staring at three new ones that weren’t a problem before. Welcome to the NFL.

So in this pre-free agency period, what are the places where the Cincinnati Bengals could use some help?

Cincinnati Bengals 3 Biggest Team Needs – Pre-Free Agency

1) Wide Receiver – The Bengals certainly have a star wideout in AJ Green. Beyond him, though, they need playmakers and depth. Tight end Tyler Eifert is a passing-game weapon, but he’s injury prone. Receiver Tyler Boyd is great in the slot but lacks much experience as a second-year man. A speedy deep threat would come in handy against defenses who want to double-team Green. FA names to keep an eye on include Terrelle Pryor, DeSean Jackson, and Kenny Stills (who averaged an eye-popping 17.3 yards per catch and 9 TDs in 2016).

2) Pass Rusher – We’ve got Carlos Dunlap. We have Geno Atkins. We have ………. Dunlap and Atkins. They combined for 17 sacks last year. Outside of those two, there are no ends on Cincy’s D-line who consistently get to the QB. The market has lots of available players this year, but no can’t-miss guys. Green Bay’s Nick Perry and Datone Jones could help out (both provide versatility as DEs who also play OLB).

3) Offensive Line – This one was a toss-up to make this list, along with running back. We chose OL because Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher haven’t panned out yet, and there’s no guarantee that the Cincinnati Bengals will hold onto free agents Andrew Whitworth and Kevin Zeitler. Pass protection will be a major concern in 2017 because you can’t lose Andy Dalton, and you definitely can’t lose Andy Dalton when there’s talk going around about trading No. 2 quarterback AJ McCarron.