CINCINNATI (WKRC) – The Bengals have played 25 seasons in Paycor Stadium since it opened in 2000 and with that as the backdrop I am subjectively counting down the top 25 players to play for the team in that time frame.
The only criteria is the player must have played at least three seasons for the team this century and their performance with the team is the only thing considered, not performance with other teams either prior to, or after, playing for the Bengals.
An alphabetical list of 25 other players considered will be revealed when the top 5 are unveiled on July 17.
Here are players who are ranked No. 12 and No. 13 on the list with links to previous players revealed at the bottom:
No. 11: DE Carlos Dunlap
Years with Bengals: 2000-2010
The Skinny: His tenure with the team ended in an ugly fashion, but he was a very good and at times a great player for a fairly long time.
Dunlap didn’t become a full-time starter until 2013, but then recorded at least 7.5 quarterback sacks in seven straight seasons, including in 2015 when he had 13.5, which set the single-season franchise record, since broken by Trey Hendrickson.
He earned the first of back-to-back Pro Bowl spots that season, and the next season he had 8.0 sacks and a remarkable 21 passes defensed (the majority tipped passes at the line of scrimmage).
He ranks second in franchise history in quarterback sacks with 82.5, although career leader Eddie Edwards was credited with sacks before they became an official NFL statistic in 1982. Dunlap ranks first in franchise history in quarterback hits (227, which is 45 more than the next closest player), forced fumbles (20, which is seven more than the next closest player) and sixth in passes defensed (60), although that stat only goes back to the 1999 season.
Dunlap was traded midway through the 2020 season when he was demoted on the depth chart and then acted in a bizarre manner to help prompt the trade.
No. 10: QB Andy Dalton
Years with Bengals: 2011-19
The Skinny: A much-maligned player for most of his career with the team despite some quality accomplishments.
He earned three Pro Bowl nods and helped lead the team to five straight playoff appearances from 2011-15. His best season came in 2015 when he completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 3,250 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a single-season best 106.2 passer rating, but was lost for the final three games of the regular season and the playoff game due to a fractured thumb.
Dalton ranks second in franchise history in passing yards (31,594), first in touchdown passes (204), first in completions (2,757) and is second in quarterback rating (87.5) for any quarterback to attempt at least 343 passes for the team in their career.
TOP 25 RELEASE SCHEDULE