The Cincinnati Bengals have had some hard hitters on the defensive side of the ball. Who leads the organization in sacks?
Pass-rushers in the NFL have a tough task. Not only do they have to get after the quarterback but they have to do what they can to put his butt on the ground. When they do, they’re typically credited with a sack.
Let’s look at the Bengals‘ all-time sack leaders.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
Cincinnati Bengals all-time leaders in sacks
10. Tim Krumrie (34.5)
A 10th-round pick in 1983, Kumrie spent the duration of his 12-year career with the Bengals. He never had more than five sacks in a single season (he notched a career-high five sacks during the 1984 season, his second in the league) but his long Bengals tenure allowed him to get into the top 10 all-time in sacks for the organization.
9. Michael Johnson (40.5)
Cincinnati spent a third-round pick on Johnson in the 2009 NFL Draft and he went on to play for the Bengals in nine of his 10 NFL seasons. The 2012 season was Johnson’s best, as he had a career-high 11.5 sacks that year, which led the defense.
8. Justin Smith (43.5)
The Bengals held the fourth overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft and used it on Smith, who played his college ball at Missouri. Smith immediately exploded onto the scene with 8.5 sacks as a rookie and for the first six years of his career, he never had fewer than 5.0 sacks. His final year with Cincinnati was during the 2007 season when he only had 2.0 sacks. He played in the NFL for seven more years as a member of the 49ers.
7. Ron Carpenter (45.5)
A second-round pick out of North Carolina State, Carpenter spent seven years in the NFL, all with the Bengals and two seasons allowed him to skyrocket to No. 7 on the all-time sack leader list. In 1973, Carpenter had 10.0 sacks, and the following year he posted a team-high 13.0 sacks.
6. Mike Reid (49.0)
With the seventh overall pick in the 1970 NFL Draft, Reid joined the Bengals and gave them all five years of his NFL career. Reid led the team in sacks in 1971 with 12.0, 1972 also with 12.0, and 1973 with 13.0. He was named All-Pro during that 1972 season.
5. Ross Browner (61.5)
The eighth overall pick of the 1978 draft, Browner packed an immediate punch for the defense, totaling eight sacks. In 1981, he had a career-high 10.0 sacks. Browner played for the Bengals in nine of his 10 years, playing the last year of his career with the Packers.
4. Reggie Williams (63.5)
The Dartmouth third-rounder played all 14 years of his NFL career with the Bengals and posted career-high sacks during the 1981 season with 11.0. The 14 years spent with the same team helped get Williams into the four-spot on this list but the dude was also a beast during his pro career.
3. Geno Atkins (75.5)
The Bengals landed Atkins in the fourth round of the 2010 draft and he went on to spend all 11 years of his pro career in Cincinnati. He recorded double-digits three times during those 11 seasons and his career-high 12.5 sacks during the 2012 season, which led the team, helped get him an All-Pro nod.
2. Carlos Dunlap (82.5)
The Bengals saw immediate game-changing ability from Dunlap after spending a second-round pick on him 2010 when he had 9.5 sacks as a rookie. He recorded a career-high 13.5 sacks during the 2015 season, which helped get him the only Pro Bowl nod of his career. Dunlap was traded to the Seahawks during the 2020 season but the 11 years he spent in Cincinnati got him to second all-time in sacks.
1. Eddie Edwards (84.5)
Cincinnati spent the third overall pick on Edwards in 1977 and he played all 12 years years of his pro career in the stripes. Edwards posted double-digit sacks three times during the course of his career and his career-high in sacks was 13.0, which he did in 1983. A lot of the time, Dunlap is considered the all-time sack leader because the NFL didn’t officially start counting sacks as an official stat until 1982 but Edwards technically holds the top spot.