Dec 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is sacked by Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins (97) during the second half of the game at Heinz Field. The Bengals won the game, 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Believe it or not, defensive tackle Geno Atkins is still one of the most underrated players in the NFL, so says Mike Freeman of CBS Sports:

It’s not a coincidence that the Bengals’ playoff resurgence is in conjunction with the growth of Atkins. He’s that good but remains a hidden gem to many in the sport.

Anyone who takes the time to break down Atkins’ film will easily see he’s one of, if not the best defensive tackle in the NFL, and Pro Football Focus rated him the third-best player in the entire league in 2012:

The best performance we’ve ever seen from a defensive tackle during our time grading, Atkins is setting about redefining what you can expect from his spot. How good was he? Good enough to have the highest grades in run defense and pass rushing… besides earning heaps of praise from any guard who had the misfortune of going up against him. The numbers are gaudy with Atkins, yet they’re only a piece of the puzzle that explains how dominant he was.

Best Performance: Week 4 at Jacksonville, +9.7

Key Stat: His 78 combined sacks, hits and hurries were 20 more than the next best defensive tackle.

Jamison Hensley is doing a positional power ranking series for each AFC North team, and coming in at #2 at tight end were the Bengals, just behind the Baltimore Ravens:

The Bengals potentially have the best tight end tandem in the division. They certainly have invested in the position, selecting a tight end in the first round in two of the past four drafts. Jermaine Gresham has admittedly not lived up to expectations, even though his catches and receiving yards have increased every year. The problem with Gresham is his lack of explosiveness and increased drops, especially in the playoff loss at Houston. It was a wise move for the Bengals to draft Tyler Eifert in the first round. He can stretch the field and make an impact in the red zone.

While a lot of the focus this offseason as of late has been on how big of an impact rookies Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard would have this year, don’t forget about wide receivers Cobi Hamilton and Tyrone Goard, two players who are expected to be fighting for one of the final roster spots during training camp. Joe Reedy mentioned them when talking about what stood out to him on Day 1 of Bengals minicamp:

Two receivers who showed a lot of potential were sixth-round pick Cobi Hamilton and college free agent Tyrone Goard. Both made plenty of nice grabs in both sessions.

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Oct 14, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) quarter shout out instructions to Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Bengals quarterbacks Coach Ken Zampese knows he has a special player in Andy Dalton, but in order for the third-year man out of TCU to take the next step, he’ll have to keep building trust and continuity with his receivers:

His game is anticipation; completely. And you can only anticipate if you trust. Or he’s throwing late, flat and hard. It’s a two-way deal. “The longer he’s with these guys, the better that’s going to get. Having a guy you trust like Mo, who’s very dependable, and then to take that component out and you saw our numbers go (down).

It’s part footwork and part trajectory. Give (the receiver) more of a chance. The flatter it is, it drops in at a flatter angle and goes away from a guy. If you get that arc early and drop it in a straighter angle and it’s in in the air longer, they have more time to track it, find it, and when they do find it, it’s coming to them instead of away from them.

That should be easier in 2013, as the Bengals figure to return all but two players (Armon Binns & Brian Leonard) who recorded a reception in 2012. Last year, Dalton was throwing to a second-year A.J. Green, a pair of rookies in Marvin Jones & Mohamed Sanu, and the enigmatic Jermaine Gresham.

Dec 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is sacked by Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins (97) during the second half of the game at Heinz Field. The Bengals won the game, 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Another free agency period has passed in which star players like Dashon Goldson, Reggie Bush, and Mike Wallace signed with teams not named the Cincinnati Bengals. But that’s because the Bengals have enough star players they the’d rather keep their own than pursue other teams’ best players, and Geoff Hobson reports the Bengals plan to roll over $10 million of 2013 cap space into 2014, allowing them to re-sign their own players:

Since they’re rolling over $10 million into next year to brace for big extensions with key players, they’re not looking to do much beyond getting deals for right tackle Andre Smith and cornerback Terence Newman. They’ll do some deals (backer, safety, QB?) but those most likely won’t be major as thoughts turn to trying to get an extension with two-time Pro Bowl tackle Geno Atkins.

That explains the lack of free agent activity with players like Dashon Goldson, Reggie Bush, and Mike Wallace.

This article by ESPN in 2012 detailed how much salary cap rollover can help a team sign their, or other teams’ star players:

Carryover is gold when you consider that salaries keep rising for top starters and that the cap is less than the $123 million it was in 2009.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers carried over $23.5 million and were able to purchase the best free-agency class of 2012: Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright. John Elway of the Broncos had a $27 million carryover and had the luxury of bringing in Peyton Manning’s $19 million salary.

While we won’t see the Bengals pursuing other teams’ stars next offseason, they will be working to re-sign their own star in Geno Atkins, who will likely become the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL when his new contract is signed.

And frankly, I’d rather have Atkins then all three of the players named above.

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