The Cincinnati Bengals have made moves in free agency this offseason. If they make any more moves, could they opt to reunite with a former player? Here are five former players who have ties to the Bengals.
This offseason showed that the Cincinnati Bengals are serious about remaining contenders and getting back to the Super Bowl this year. They addressed the biggest weakness entering the offseason, adding three offensive linemen who should make that unit better.
Three former Bengals offensive linemen are still waiting to be signed by a team and two former defensive Bengals are also waiting for their next NFL home as well.
Let’s check out five free agents who have ties to the Bengals. Does this mean they’re good fits for Cincinnati this year? Not necessarily but they’re still worth discussing.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
Geno Atkins
In the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected Geno Atkins out of Georgia. What happened next was 11 years spent in the Queen City for Atkins, who went on to become a member of the NFL All-2010s team.
Atkins was a pass-rushing machine during his long career in Cincinnati and reached eight Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro twice. His best season was in 2012 when he had a whopping 12.5 sacks. It wasn’t the only double-digit sack season of his career, as three years later, he totaled 11 sacks and in 2018 he had 10 sacks.
Moving on from Atkins after the 2020 season was the right decision due to him missing half of that season and not being the same player that he once was but it was hard to see him go. He didn’t end up playing for anyone last year so at this point in his career it’s doubtful that he’d be anything more than a rotational piece.
He’s probably not a fit for the Bengals in 2022 but fans might not be angry if he joined the team and could potentially earn a Super Bowl ring after all he gave to the franchise.
Carlos Dunlap
Carlos Dunlap, another former 2010 draft pick by the Bengals, is currently looking for a home in free agency. Dunlap went in the second round of that year’s draft out of Florida and gave the stripes 11 great years before moving onto Seattle for the next phase of his career.
During his time in the Queen City, Dunlap became the all-time leader in sacks, and in 2015, he put up the most of his career with 13.5. He was consistently making plays and leading the way on defense and it was a bummer when he was traded to Seattle in the two-win 2020 season.
After one and a half seasons in Seattle, Dunlap was released and able to sign wherever he wanted. Recently, he met with the Panthers but not much has been said about the meeting since it happened last week.
Dunlap actually could make sense in Cincinnati. He’s still a productive player and could help their young and improving defense.
Trey Hopkins
Trey Hopkins was a feel-good story for the Cincinnati Bengals. Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Texas following the 2016 NFL Draft, Hopkins ended up becoming a consistent starter for the stripes by his second year in the league.
Hopkins started off at right guard but by 2018, his third year in the league, he was the starting center for the Bengals. This is a job he held for the next four seasons and one that he was pretty darn good at up until this past year.
In the final game of the 2020 season, Hopkins was injured and he wasn’t the same this past season because of the lingering effects of that injury. The team eventually released him to save money, which was the right decision considering they added Ted Karras in free agency to play center.
Hopkins might not be starting-caliber anymore but he’d still be a reasonable backup option for whichever team signs him.
Riley Reiff
One of the first times that Joe Burrow had an influence on a free agent’s decision to sign with the Bengals was when he convinced Riley Reiff to join the stripes for the 2021 season. Reiff joined the team with the intention of switching from left tackle to right tackle. He had played left tackle for the Lions and Vikings before signing with Cincinnati.
Reiff went on to start 12 games at right tackle for the Bengals before getting injured and missing the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. Even though Reiff didn’t finish the season on the field, he was still a serviceable option for the team. He finished with a PFF grade of 67.3 but is still waiting to sign with a team.
Two weeks ago, Reiff visited with the Jets but a deal was never agreed to. He’s probably not an option to start at this point, plus even if he was, the Bengals already have their starting tackles for the 2022 season.
I wouldn’t be opposed to the team bringing Reiff back but it feels unlikely at this point.
Quinton Spain
I’m surprised that Quinton Spain is still waiting to be signed by a team in free agency. He finished the 2021 season with a 72.3 PFF grade and while many will remember the missed block he had in the Super Bowl that led to the final sack of Joe Burrow, for the most part, Spain was an asset to the team’s offensive line.
Spain played with the Titans for the first four years of his career and then spent a year and a half in Buffalo before landing with the Bengals during the 2020 season. He jumped back and forth between the two guard spots but started at left guard in all but one of the team’s regular-season games last year.
Left guard just so happens to be the only position on the o-line that doesn’t have a starter in place for the 2022 season. It’s more than likely going to be Jackson Carman manning the left guard position, which is probably why the team hasn’t looked into re-signing Spain.
With Spain’s experience as a starting guard, I figured he’d have found a new NFL home by now but he’s still waiting to get signed.
Would you want to see any of these former Bengals back in the stripes?