While the Cincinnati Bengals have recently become one of the most competitive franchises in the NFL, that hasn’t always been the case. However, younger NFL fans might not realize that the Bengals have a pretty storied history full of important names in the history of the league.
The Bengals were born in 1967 when an ownership group led by former Cleveland Browns head coach Paul Brown was granted a franchise in the American Football League. Dubbed the Bengals, in reference to a previous pro football team in the city, the football team took on the colors of orange and black, which some think was a dig meant for Browns owner Art Modell, whose team also sported orange.
The Bengals have had plenty of ups and downs over the years, though they seem to be in good hands at the moment with quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. There were plenty of great franchise players before them, however. Let’s take a closer look at the 10 best Cincinnati Bengals of all time.
10. Cris Collinsworth, wide receiver
Before he became a national broadcaster, Cris Collinsworth was a great wideout for the Bengals in the 1980s. The Florida Gators alum garnered 417 catches for 6,698 receiving yards in his 8-season career with Cincy. He also was the first Bengals receiver to have over 1,000 yards receiving. He may not be the Bengals’ all-time leading receiver, but he was a catalyst for the successful Bengals teams of the ’80s along with quarterbacks Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason.
Later, Collinsworth turned his playing career into a broadcasting one. These days he’s a mainstay of Sunday Night Football along with Mike Tirico. Collinsworth may not make the Hall of Fame as a player but there’s a decent chance he’ll slide in as a broadcaster.
9. Boomer Esiason, quarterback
There have been a lot of great Bengals quarterbacks over the decades but one who doesn’t get enough credit is Boomer Esiason. When Ken Anderson retired after the 1986 season, many wondered who would take his place. Esiason stepped right in and did a masterful job of running the offense. Esiason led the Bengals to the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers in 1988 and almost led to the franchise’s first NFL championship. That same season, he won NFL MVP and led the league in passing. He is still the Bengals’ second-leading passer with over 27,000 yards. After brief stints with the Jets and Cardinals, he returned to Cincy in 1997 to finish his career before moving into broadcasting.
8. Chad Johnson, wide receiver
Chad Johnson may be better remembered for his antics off the field these days but he was a pretty good wide receiver too. Johnson accumulated over 10,000 yards and 66 touchdowns with the franchise, which leads all Bengal receivers. Johnson’s stats would be more talked about if it wasn’t for his off-the-field drama such as changing his name to Chad Ochocinco and a short-term marriage to a reality star that led to legal issues.
It will be interesting to see despite all of this, if Johnson will be given serious consideration for the NFL Hall of Fame. While he certainly had a lot of baggage, he was also a three-time First-team All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowler, and is a member of the Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor.
7. Ken Riley, defensive back
You can say that Ken Riley deserves to be ranked higher on this list and we wouldn’t argue. Riley, who was recently just inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a man amongst boys during his NFL career, which spanned three decades. His 65 interceptions are 32 more than the second-leading defensive back in team history. Somehow, the first time he earned First-team All-Pro it was in his final season of 1983. He is also a member of the Bengals Ring of Honor.
After playing for the Bengals for 15 years, the Florida A&M grad eventually became the Rattlers’ head coach and athletic director. The two-time MEAC Coach of the Year was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2023, three years after his passing.
6. Carson Palmer, quarterback
Carson Palmer’s reputation may get overlooked due to how his time with Cincy ended, not to mention how his NFL career tapered off towards the end. It’s easy to forget that the Heisman Trophy winner made an immediate impact with the Bengals after selected him with the No. 1 pick in 2003. Eight seasons later he would be third on the Bengals’ all-time passing list with 22,694 yards. In 2005, he threw 32 touchdowns in a season, the most by any Bengals quarterback at the time. Palmer along with Chad Johnson, made the Bengals a contender in the 2000s, but injuries derailed their playoff runs and Super Bowl dreams.
5. Ja’Marr Chase, wide receiver
It may seem strange to see Chase on the list when he has only been with the team for two seasons, but the former LSU receiver’s impact on this current Bengals team cannot be overstated.
He is already well on his way to breaking all of the Bengals’ receiving records if he can remain healthy. Chase set the NFL record for receiving yards in a season and postseason by a rookie (1,823) and became the youngest NFL player with multiple 100-yard receiving games in a single postseason. He also already owns the franchise records for receiving yards in a game (266) and receiving yards in a season (1,455). It may not be long before he and Joe Burrow become the most deadly quarterback and wide receiver combination in the league…if they aren’t already.
4. Corey Dillon, running back
Corey Dillon has taken issue with the fact that he has yet to added to the Bengals’ Ring of Honor and that’s a fair complaint. With the Bengals, Dillon rushed for 8,061 career yards, which includes six consecutive seasons with over 1,100 yards rushing. He also won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots and has four Pro Bowl selections, three of which were with the Bengals. He finished his NFL career with 2,618 carries for 11,241 rushing yards and 82 touchdowns. It seems like a true oversight that the franchise hasn’t honored him yet.
3. Joe Burrow, quarterback
Like Chase, Joe Burrow’s ranking might seem too high after just three seasons but look at the facts. In his first season, he broke the record for most completions by a rookie in a game at 37. In his second season, he was the NFL completion percentage leader, named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and led the Bengals to a Super Bowl appearance. In his third season, he broke his own team record with 35 passing touchdowns, made the Pro Bowl, and led the Bengals to the AFC Championship Game.
While Patrick Mahomes might have the Super Bowl rings, Burrow has a winning record against his Chiefs rival. In three seasons he’s already thrown for over 11,000 yards and 82 touchdowns. If he can keep this pace up, and get the Bengals back to the Super Bowl, he’ll top this list in no time.
2. Ken Anderson, quarterback
The only quarterback standing between Joe Burrow and Bengals immortality is Ken Anderson. The Bengals teams of the 1970s and 1980s owe much of their success to Anderson and the passing attack. A member of the Bengals Ring of Honor, Anderson led the NFL in completion percentage three times, passer rating four times, and passing yards twice. A four-time Pro Bowler, everything came together for Anderson in 1981 when he led Cincy to the Super Bowl and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, and MVP.
While Burrow is likely to chip away at the team records Anderson still holds, he currently holds various team records such as completions in a game, career passing yards, playoff touchdowns, and 300+ yard passing games in the playoffs.
1. Anthony Munoz, offensive lineman
Considered by many to be the greatest NFL offensive lineman of all time, there was no doubt that Anthony Munoz would be No. 1 on this list. The California native had to prove his critics wrong after three knee surgeries in college at USC, but he ended up playing 183 out of 185 games on the Bengals’ offensive line between 1980 and 1992. An 11-time Pro Bowler and nine-time First-team All-Pro, Munoz was part of both Cincinnati Super Bowl teams in the 1980s. He was eventually named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, 75th Anniversary All-Time Team, and 100th Anniversary All-Time Team.
For what it’s worth, the lineman could catch the ball too. In his career, he garnered seven receptions for 18 yards and four touchdowns on tackle-eligible plays. Bengals fans know if there is one player that truly represents their organization, it’s Anthony Munoz.
