9 Best Cincinnati Bengals of All Time, Ranked

Since April 4, 2022, when BetMGM went live in Ontario, and people were able to bet online, the Cincinnati Bengals have been a prominent franchise with Joe Burrow under center. 

Those engaging in football betting have found that the markets, including NFL spreads and numerous futures betting markets, favour the team so long as Burrow is healthy and playing. 

Still, before this modern era of be, the Bengals had numerous star players come through their ranks despite never winning a Super Bowl and only winning three AFC championships. 

Below, I’ll rank the top nine players in Bengals history.

9 Best Cincinnati Bengals of All Time, Ranked

1. Anthony Munoz

Munoz was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft and is regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in the sport’s history. He played for the Bengals from 1980 to 1992 and was the NFL Man of the Year in 1991. He made nine first-team All-Pro squads, two second-team All-Pro teams, and 11 Pro Bowls. 

He missed just three games over his first 12 seasons and was the starting left tackle for two Super Bowl teams in XVI and XXIII. 

Munoz is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

2. Ken Anderson

No quarterback in Bengals history has more career passing yards than Anderson, who has 32,838 on 2,654 completions and 4,475 attempts. He also posted 197 touchdowns and 160 interceptions.

His standout season came in 1981 when the Bengals went 12-4. He threw for 2,754 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just ten interceptions. 

The goat Ken Anderson throws 3 TD's vs #CityUpNorth in this 1973 blowout 34-17! All 3 TD's were to Isaac Curtis aka “Ice Man”
(5 receptions for 117 yards). #NewStripes | #Bengals #CincinnatiFootballHistory

https://t.co/t2Ezv2rhrA

— Bengal Jim & Friends (@bengaljims_BTR) April 19, 2021

That year, he won the MVP award, was the Offensive Player of the Year, was Comeback Player of the Year, won the Bert Bell Award, was first-team All-Pro, and more. He also had other accolades like NFL Man of the Year, second-team All-Pro, made four Pro Bowls, was a two-time passing yards leader, three-time completion percentage leader, and a four-time passer rating leader. 

He played in six playoff games, including the Super Bowl from the 1981-82 season, losing to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21. He threw for 300 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. 

3. Chad Johnson

Only one wide receiver in Bengals history has posted more than 10,000 career receiving yards, and that’s Chad Johnson, also known as Chad Ochocinco. 

He finished his Bengals career with 751 catches on 1,340 targets for 10,783 yards and 66 touchdowns. 

Following his time with the Bengals, he had stints with the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Montreal Alouettes, and even the Fundidores de Monterrey, a Mexican football team. 

Johnson was a three-time first-team All-Pro, one-time second-team All-Pro, made six Pro Bowls, led the league in receiving yards in 2006, is in the Bengals Ring of Honor, and made the Bengals 40th and 50th Anniversary Team. 

4. Boomer Esiason

Boomer ranks third all-time in Bengals passing yards with 27,149 and has a lifetime completion percentage of 56.5%. He had 187 career passing touchdowns and 131 interceptions. 

He went 62-61 during his career, but he led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII, losing to the 49ers 20-16. In that game, Esiason completed 11 of 25 passes for 144 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. 

However, he won the NFL MVP that season, leading up to the Super Bowl, after completing 57.5% of his passes for 3,572 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. 

After leaving the Bengals in 1992, he played for the Jets and Cardinals before returning to the Bengals in 1997, where he started five games and went 4-1. 

Esiason was also named NFL Man of the Year in 1995, was first-time All-Pro in 1988, made four Pro Bowls, is in the Bengals Ring of Honor, and is part of the 50th Anniversary Team. 

5. A.J. Green

Green is about 1,300 yards behind Johnson for the Bengals all-time receiving yardage mark, with 9,430 over his time playing for the team from 2011 to 2020. He caught 649 passes on 1,130 targets, averaging 14.5 yards per catch. 

During his time with the Bengals, Green had 1,000+ receiving yard seasons in each of his first five years. In his sixth season, he had 964 in just 10 games and had 1,078 in his seventh. 

He also missed the entire 2019 season with an ankle injury, meaning he really only played nine seasons for the team. 

Green was a two-time second-team All-Pro, made seven Pro Bowls, and was a member of the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team. 

6. Willie Anderson

With Munoz long gone, the Bengals next best offensive tackle in franchise history was Anderson, who played there from 1996 to 2007. He was a key component along the line as a run blocker, helping Corey Dillon break Jim Brown’s rookie single-game rushing record and Walter Payton’s single-game rushing record of 275 yards. 

Anderson was a three-time first-team All-Pro, one-time second-team All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler, was put in the Bengals Ring of Honor, and is a member of both the 40th and 50th Anniversary teams. 

7. Isaac Curtis

A three-time second-team All-Pro, a four-time Pro Bowler, and a member of the Bengals Ring of Honor, Curtis ranks third all-time in Bengals receiving yards with 7,101 yards on 416 catches, averaging 17.1 yards per catch. 

Curis never posted 1,000 yards in a single season, but he averaged 21.1 yards per catch in 1975. He was a key cog in Super Bowl XVI, catching three passes for 42 yards. 

8. Cris Collinsworth

From 1981 to 1988, Collinsworth played 107 games for the Bengals, amassing 6,698 yards, averaging more than 62 receiving yards per game. He had 417 receptions, averaging more than 16 yards per catch. 

Collinsworth received three second-team All-Pro nods from 1981 to 1983, made three Pro Bowls, made the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team, and is part of the Bengals 50th Anniversary Team. 

He played a vital role in Super Bowl XXIII, leading the team with three catches for 40 yards. He also had over 100 receiving yards in Super Bowl XVI while on a team with Dan Ross (16th in Bengals history in receiving yards) and Curtis. 

He had four 1,000+ yards receiving seasons and one double-digit touchdown campaign. 

9. Joe Burrow

He’s played just 52 games in his Bengals career, but Burrow already ranks sixth all-time in passing yards in Bengals history with 14,083. 

Sadly, his career has been somewhat mired by injuries. He tore his ACL as a rookie and injured his wrist in 2023. In both years, he started 10 games. 

He led the Bengals to Super Bowl LVI, and they were mere plays away from winning it, losing to the Los Angeles Rams 23-20. 

In that game, Burrow completed 22 of 33 passes for 263 yards and one touchdown.