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One quietly solid staple of the Bengals' under Marvin Lewis is the play of his special teams unit. Darrin Simmons has headed up the special teams group since Lewis' arrival in Cincinnati and he has molded the unit into one that is consistently among the best. Unfortunately, kicking issues placed a major damper on Simmons' resume, but sticking too long with Mike Nugent also falls on Lewis' shoulders.
Even so, there were a number of solid performers on Simmons' squad, be it in the punting or return game. Who gets your vote for the Bengals' 2016 Special Teams Player of the Year? Cast your vote and sound off on your winner!
Punter Kevin Huber: It wasn't the Pro Bowl-type of campaign we've seen from him before, but Huber and the coverage team still finished No. 14 in net punting with 41.1 yards per kick and ninth in punting yards. He's been a solid addition to the team since joining the in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Long Snapper Clark Harris: Parents, let your kids grow up to be long snappers. When they are good at the craft, they can have long and lucrative careers. He's been a steady presence on the special teams unit since the team since 2009 when he took over for a struggling Brad St. Louis. He missed three games because of injury, the first time he hasn't played a full 16 game season since 2009, but still remains a valuable and unheralded asset to the team.
Cornerback Darqueze Dennard: Being a special teams ace isn't what a team envisions for a first round pick, but Dennard has had some great moments as a gunner on coverage. How many times have we seen him down punts deep inside the opponent's territory? It's been a strength of his over the past two seasons and has helped the team in a big way.
Kick/Punt Returner Alex Erickson: The undrafted rookie has made a number of appearances on this year's season award list and he's deserving of being a nominee here. Erickson had a little bit of a slow start to the season, but really excelled down the stretch. Erickson led the NFL in kickoff return yards and finished second in yards per kickoff return. He didn't have the same success on punts, but the future looks bright for the Bengals' undrafted pickup out of Wisconsin.