If the Bengals were to choose only 10 people for a ring of honor, who would be in it?

The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the only teams in the NFL that do not have a Ring of Honor for their organization’s best players. Fans have been asking for years for team Owner Mike Brown to include a Ring of Honor to commemorate not only some of the best Bengals players of all time, but some of the best NFL players of all time.

Whether you grew up watching Anthony Munoz clobber defensive ends for a living or A.J Green go up and over defenders for spectacular catches, most fans have an idea of 10 players they would choose if the Bengals were to create a Ring of Honor. Some might be very obvious, but there are also fringe players who had or currently still are having above average tenures with the team who might barely make the cut.

For this list we’ll focus on just players rather than coaches/owners, so here is my list of players:

1. Anthony Munoz

This seems like the most obvious answer if someone were to ask you who the best Bengals player of all time is. Munoz is not only the best Bengals player of all time, but one of the NFL’s best players we’ve ever seen. He was the cornerstone for some of the best Bengals team’s we’ve ever seen, as well as being a standout person outside of football such as when he won Walter Payton Man of the Year in 1991. Munoz started 184 games at left tackle for Cincinnati, making it to the Pro Bowl 11 times and named All-Pro nine times. He would be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1998, making him the first guy on the list for a Bengals Ring of Honor.

2. Ken Anderson

Quarterback Ken Anderson played for the Bengals for his entire 16 year career from 1971-1986, winning NFL MVP in 1981. That would also be the year that Anderson led the Bengals to their first ever Superbowl appearance. Despite the loss in the Superbowl to the Joe Montana led San Francisco 49ers, Anderson had an amazing career as he finished with over 32,000 passing yards and 197 touchdown passes. He would be named to the Pro Bowl four times during his tenure with Cincinnati, but isn’t the only Bengals quarterback on this list.

3. Tim Krumrie

Tim Krumrie is another of those guys who spent his entire career with the Bengals, playing nose tackle for the team from 1983-1994. He had a very productive career as he finished with a little over 1,000 combined tackles, 34.5 sacks and 13 fumble recoveries. He would be named to the Pro Bowl only twice, but was a consistent force in the middle for the team for many years.

4. Cris Collinsworth

Most people might know Collinsworth as the color analyst alongside Al Michaels on NBC Sunday Night Football. However if you’re a Bengals fan, you probably know him as one of the organization’s best wide receivers of all-time. He spent his entire eight year career with Cincinnati, being named to the Pro Bowl three of those years and putting up four 1,000-yard seasons. He had over 100 receiving yards in the team’s first Superbowl in the 1981 season, which was also his rookie year, as well as a few catches in the team’s only other Superbowl appearance in the 1988 season. There should be no doubt that the 6’5 190-pound wide receiver should be included.

5. Isaac Curtis

Just like all of the guys listed before wide receiver Isaac Curtis, he spent his entire 12 year career with the Bengals. Curtis had big expectations coming into his rookie season in 1973 after being drafted with the 15th overall pick out of San Diego State. He left no doubt as to why they drafted him with such a high pick, producing over 7,000 receiving yards and 53 touchdowns during his career.

6. Ken Riley

It’s not everyday that you hear about a defensive back play 15 years in the NFL, but Ken Riley did that. It makes it even better that he spent all of them with the Bengals, producing some insane numbers along the way. Riley entered the league 1969, making an impact for Cincinnati from his first season to his last. He would finish his career with 65 interceptions, which is tied for 5th most in NFL history. He even had nine in 1976 and eight in his final season of his career in 1983. Despite the huge production during his career, Riley is still looking to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

7. Boomer Esiason

Boomer is the only one on the list so far that didn’t spend his entire career with Cincinnati, but none the less should he be apart of this list. Esiason spent his first 10 of his 14 seasons with the Bengals, with nine of them coming from 1984-1992 and returning for the final year of his career in 1997. He made the Pro Bowl three times with the team, winning MVP one time in 1988 in the same season he led the team to the Superbowl. You can argue between him and Ken Anderson as being the best quarterback that the organization has ever had, but both had spectacular careers with the organization none the less.

8. Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson

This is the first player on the list that has played in the 21st century, but arguably the best wide receiver in team history. Even if you aren’t very familiar with the NFL, you’ve probably heard of Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson before. One of the most entertaining wide receivers in NFL history, Johnson put on a show every week for fans whether that was quirky touchdown celebrations or kicking PAT’s and kickoffs during the preseason. Johnson was drafted in 2001 by Cincinnati and played 10 seasons for them before spending one season with the Patriots in 2011 and eventually being cut by the Dolphins before the regular season began in 2012, ending his NFL career for good. He was one of the most productive players this team has ever seen at any position, producing 10,000+ receiving yards and 66 receiving touchdowns on close to 800 receptions. Some might argue that there is a guy who is the team’s best wide receiver of all-time, but you won’t have to go too far to find out who that other guy could be.

9. A.J Green

Yeah, you probably could have very easily guessed A.J Green. Enough can’t be said about Green and what he’s done for the city of Cincinnati. He was drafted fourth overall in the 2011 NFL Draft along with quarterback Andy Dalton. He immediately proved to the team and this city that this pick was the right one, putting up six 1,000+ receiving yards seasons in his first eight seasons, as well as totaling 63 receiving touchdowns during his career. He would come close to 1,000 yards in 2016, but was just short with 964 due to injury after only appearing in 10 games. That’s also been a big reason why people might argue he isn’t the team’s best receiver of all time is because of the amount of time he’s missed due to injury. He only played in 10 games in 2016, nine in 2018, and currently expected to miss close to the first 4-5 weeks of the 2019 season. Green is one of the best players and overall person that this team has ever had the privilege to have, but is still looking for that contract extension to hopefully finish off his career in Cincinnati with.

10. Geno Atkins

The final player that I would choose to have in a Bengals Ring of Honor would be defensive tackle Geno Atkins. Atkins was drafted out of Georgia in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, and has had a fantastic career with the team since the beginning. Geno is constantly a force on the inside, using his 6’1 300-pound frame to make centers and guards lives hell week-in and week-out. Despite tearing his ACL in 2013, Atkins has been a major contributor in every year of his career. During his time in Cincinnati he has racked up an incredible 71 sacks, 343 combined tackles, and 96 tackles for loss, with many more to come following a huge contract extension this past offseason. These impressive numbers have earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl seven times and named All-Pro twice. He is a guy like A.J Green who should be inducted into the Hall of Fame once his career is over, but for Bengals fans we hope he still has enough fuel in the tank to play for much longer.

Now before anyone gets upset over this list, remember that is my list and who I personally feel should be inducted into a Bengals Ring of Honor if there were to be one. It was difficult to narrow the list down to only 10 players, so I’ll give 10 more who just barely made the cut:

1. Andy Dalton - Quarterback (Career with Bengals: 2011-Present)

Stats from 2011 through Week 1 of 2019 season: 28,518 passing yards, 190 passing touchdowns, 104 interceptions and 68-51-2 record in games he has started

Accolades with Cincinnati: 3x Pro Bowl

2. Lemar Parrish - Defensive Back (Career with Bengals: 1970-1977)

Stats from 1970-1977: 25 interceptions, 354 interception return yards, 4 interception touchdowns and 10 fumble recoveries in 101 games started for the team.

Accolades with Cincinnati: 6x Pro Bowl

3. Corey Dillon - Running Back (Career with Bengals: 1997-2003)

Stats from 1997-2003: 8,061 rushing yards, 45 rushing touchdowns, 192 receptions, 1482 receiving yards, and 5 receiving touchdowns in 95 games started for the team.

Accolades with Cincinnati: 3x Pro Bowl

4. Willie Anderson - Offensive Tackle (Career with Bengals: 1996-2007)

Stats from 1996-2007: 173 games started and 3 fumble recoveries

Accolades with Cincinnati: 4x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro

5. Carl Pickens - Wide Receiver (Career with Bengals: 1992-1999)

Stats from 1992-1999: 6,887 receiving yards and 63 receiving touchdowns in 111 games started for the team.

Accolades with Cincinnati: 2x Pro Bowl, AP Offensive Rookie of The Year

6. James Brooks - Running Back (Career with Bengals: 1984-1991)

Stats from 1984-1991: 6,447 rushing yards, 37 rushing touchdowns, 3012 receiving yards, and 27 receiving touchdowns in 106 games started for the team.

Accolades with Cincinnati: 4x Pro Bowl

7. David Fulcher - Defensive Back (Career with Bengals: 1986-1992)

Stats from 1986-1992: 31 interceptions, 246 interception return yards, 2 interception touchdowns and nine fumble recoveries in 98 games started for the team.

Accolades with Cincinnati: 3x Pro Bowl, 1x All-Pro

8. T. J Houshmandzadeh - Wide Receiver (Career with Bengals: 2001-2008)

Stats from 2001-2008: 5,782 receiving yards and 37 receiving touchdowns in 74 games started for the team.

Accolades with Cincinnati: 1x Pro Bowl

9. Carson Palmer - Quarterback (Career with Bengals: 2004-2010)

Stats from 2004-2010: 22,694 passing yards, 154 passing touchdowns, 100 interceptions, and 46-51 in games started for the team.

10. Rodney Holman - Tight End (Career with Bengals: 1982-1992)

Stats from 1982-1992: 4,329 receiving yards and 34 receiving touchdowns in 120 games started for the team.

Accolades with Cincinnati: 3x Pro Bowl