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Projecting three future Hall of Famers for the Cincinnati Bengals
The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 will officially be inducted on Aug. 3.
With less than a month until the annual event in Canton, Ohio, we're examining which players — past and present — on the league's 32 teams we think will one day receive a similar honor.
Here are three Cincinnati Bengals who should eventually receive football immortality.
Offensive tackle Willie Anderson
Anderson fell just short as a Hall of Fame finalist for the third straight year, but it was his closest call yet as many believe his time is nearing.
"I think he'll get in at some point," Bengals Hall of Fame left tackle Anthony Munoz said, via the team's website. "There is momentum building for him. There should be momentum building for him."
Anderson was one of the best offensive tackles at the turn of the century, earning first-team All-Pro honors three times (2004-2006) and being elected to four Pro Bowls (2003-2006).
He hung up his cleats following his lone season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, capping off what many believe was a 13-year Hall of Fame career.
Wide receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson
Johnson, a second-round pick by Cincinnati in 2001, is known as one of the best route runners in NFL history. The three-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler had seven 1,000-yard seasons, finishing his career with 766 catches for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns.
While "Ochocinco" ranks 40th all-time in receiving yards, 42nd all-time in receptions and 57th all-time in receiving touchdowns, he still believes he's worthy of Canton.
"I invested myself and put my own Hall of Fame jacket in the middle of the game, and that probably doesn't sit well with people that are in the position of power to vote me in," Johnson said, via Ryan Morik of Fox News. "And I'm fine with that, which is why I put my jacket on, to let them know I felt I was Hall of Fame-worthy and I'm not waiting on you."
If there were a Hall of Fame for smack talking, Johnson would already be in it, but he may still have to wait a little while longer to finally get his official gold jacket.
Running back Corey Dillon
Dillon put together a very productive 10-year NFL career before officially retiring in 2007.
The four-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXXIX champion had six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, finishing with 11,241 rushing yards, which ranks 20th all-time, and 82 rushing touchdowns, ranking 19th all-time.
Dillon is also among just 14 running backs who have at least 10,000 career rushing yards and averaged more than 4.3 yards per attempt.
That is why he thinks he's earned a spot in the Hall of Fame, and maybe he's right.
"There are a lot of Hall of Famers that did far more worse [expletive] than I did," Dillon said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. "On top of that, I thought the game was predicated on numbers. Are people looking at the numbers like, 'Nah, nah?' I don't think so."
More must-reads:
- Joe Burrow expands on idea for 18-game season
- Bengals QB Joe Burrow shares Olympic aspirations
- The 'Cincinnati Bengals head coaches' quiz
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Ranking the five worst NFL QB situations
Quarterback is the most important position in the NFL — possibly the most important position in sports. Teams with inferior quarterback rooms don't stand much of a chance to compete in 2025, so it could be a long year for these five organizations. (QB situations are ranked in inverse order.) 5. New York Jets QBs: Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, Adrian Martinez, Brady Cook The Jets were happy to rid themselves of Aaron Rodgers this offseason, but Fields isn't much of an upgrade. The 2021 first-round pick has a completion percentage of 61.1 percent in the NFL, and he's thrown for only 45 touchdowns in 44 career starts (plus 31 interceptions). Fields, who went 4-2 with the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, is reportedly struggling in training camp, which is nothing new based on his first four years in the NFL. New Jets coach Aaron Glenn recently was asked if he was concerned about Fields' play. "I don’t because it’s early," he said. Expect the Jets — who open at home Sept. 7 against Rodgers' Steelers — to be one of the most run-heavy offenses in the league this season. 4. Tennessee Titans QBs: Cam Ward, Brandon Allen, Tim Boyle, Will Levis (IR) The Titans are a tough team to rank heading into the season. Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, has the potential to become a top-10 quarterback in the NFL. But it's much more likely that the rookie struggles to adjust to NFL speed in the first few months of the season. The good news for Ward is that expectations are low for his first year in the NFL and he plays for a franchise off the radar. "You've probably seen that there's not enough focus on him being the first pick or whatever," Ward's father, Calvin, told Fox Sports' Ben Arthur in a story published Monday. "He honestly does not care. That's the honest truth. He doesn't care. "He just wants to work, get better, help his team improve." This season is more about getting Ward valuable reps and him improving with each start. The Titans better hope Ward stays healthy, because Allen and Boyle aren't NFL-caliber quarterbacks. 3. Indianapolis Colts QBs: Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones, Riley Leonard, Jason Bean The Richardson experiment is a catastrophe for the Colts. The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft completed just 47.7 percent of his pass attempts last season and threw more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (eight). His rocket arm and athletic ability near the goal line are still tantalizing, but none of that will matter until he learns how to hit a five-yard slant consistently. Richardson suffered an ugly-looking finger injury during the first quarter of the Browns' preseason opener. If the backup plan for Richardson is Jones, who is 24-44-1 in his career, this offense could be a trainwreck. 2. Cleveland Browns QBs: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, Tyler Huntley, Deshaun Watson (IR) Cleveland's quarterback room is a mess. Watson, who won't play this season because of a torn Achilles, carries a $35.9M cap hit in 2025 and an $80.7M cap hit in 2026. With Watson out, the Browns signed 40-year-old Flacco, traded for Pickett and added Sanders and Gabriel in the 2025 NFL Draft. As if that wasn't enough, the Browns recently signed Huntley to give themselves five active quarterbacks. Good luck predicting how the snaps shake out this season, but it won't be pretty. In May, an anonymous NFL executive said of Cleveland's QB situation: "I look at their (quarterback) room and I don’t know what they’re doing." 1. New Orleans Saints QBs: Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener, Hunter Dekkers With Derek Carr retiring, the Saints could start a 25-year-old, oft-injured rookie at quarterback this season. Or perhaps New Orleans will go with Rattler or Haener, who combined to go 148-for-267 (55.4 percent) with five touchdown passes and six interceptions last season. Rattler may have the upper hand now, but he's not going to excite New Orleans fans, who endured a 5-12 2024 season. Rookie head coach Kellen Moore, a former NFL backup QB, has his hands full with this uninspiring QB room.
Gap between star WR Terry McLaurin, Commanders revealed
As of Thursday morning, the Washington Commanders and Terry McLaurin remained in a contract stalemate after the 29-year-old wide receiver in the final year of his current deal requested a trade. During Thursday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler noted that the Commanders and McLaurin are locked in "a classic standoff" as McLaurin allegedly looks to secure "parts" of the five-year, $150M deal that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave DK Metcalf this past March. "They have been far apart," Fowler said about the negotiations between the Commanders and McLaurin, as shared by Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report. "...[McLaurin] has wanted metrics of the DK Metcalf contract, which is $32M. I'm told the Washington Commanders have only been slightly above where he was before, which is $23M. So take that gap, that's $7M to 8M that they have to bridge." Fowler added that Washington "has got some calls about McLaurin" this summer because "there's some interest league-wide" in learning whether or not the wideout could become available. For what it's worth, numerous reporters have said since McLaurin went public with his trade request that he likely won't go anywhere before Washington opens the season with a home game against the New York Giants on Sept. 7. ESPN's John Keim mentioned that Washington's joint practice with the New England Patriots on Wednesday showed that the Commanders "need McLaurin back on the field" as soon as possible. That's understandable, as McLaurin recorded team highs of 117 targets, 82 receptions and 1,096 receiving yards to help quarterback Jayden Daniels become the Offensive Rookie of the Year for the 2024 season. Additionally, McLaurin finished the 2024 campaign ranked second in the entire NFL with 13 touchdown catches. As of Thursday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list a Washington team coming off a trip to this year's NFC Championship Game sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX. Perhaps Wednesday's joint practice will spark more positive conversations between McLaurin's camp and the Commanders that will result in the playmaker rejoining summer practices as soon as early next week.
Carlos Alcaraz Sends Huge Warning to the Rest of the Tour Regarding his Rivalry with Jannik Sinner
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce might be making major moves in Cleveland Heights
First Travis Kelce went Instagram official with Taylor Swift, and now this! The star couple might be looking to take another big step in their relationship. The New York Post reports that Swift and Kelce have "toured at least two homes in Cleveland’s Eastside suburbs in June." The outlet speculated that this area could "potentially boast the perfect home for a post-NFL retirement." The two were spotted having lunch together in Ohio this summer at JoJo's Bar in Chagrin Falls, with eagle-eyed fans noticing that the singer was even wearing her merchandise. The manager of JoJo's Bar spoke with PEOPLE at the time about Kelce and Swift's lunch date. "Taylor and Travis came in and had a wonderful time," John Ponyicky told the outlet. "They had a great lunch, enjoyed our food, and were really impressed with the team. Travis grew up in Cleveland Heights, so he decided to visit somewhere he was familiar with. He and Taylor were both really pleasant. They sat at the bar for a bit, but also had a private lunch in a private room." Kelce is very proud of his hometown, so it makes sense that he would always want to make sure he has a place to go back to there. However, including Swift in this decision proves that he is building a future with her.
Colts QB Anthony Richardson already dealing with another setback
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s 2025 campaign is already off to a rocky start. Richardson suffered a dislocated finger in the first quarter of the Colts' preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens. The injury happened on a sack from David Ojabo, and while Richardson was able to walk off the field, the Colts quickly ruled him out for the rest of the game. Richardson completed two of three passes for 21 yards before being replaced by Daniel Jones. The setback continues the unfortunate trend for the young QB, whose NFL career has been repeatedly disrupted by injuries. Selected fourth by Indianapolis in the 2023 NFL Draft, he entered the league with rare traits that made many teams covet his skills. In his rookie year, he showed flashes of solid play, with three passing touchdowns and four rushing TDs. However, Richardson's rookie year was limited to just four games. He missed a game due to a concussion, then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Richardson returned in 2024 with a lot of expectations, but he once again struggled to stay on the field. After starting the first four games of the season, he missed two weeks with an oblique injury. He returned for two more games before infamously getting benched for two games. Richardson got another chance and had inconsistent performances in five games, going 3-2 over that span. Injuries once again reared their ugly head, and he missed the final two games of the season. He still managed to provide some memorable plays, but ultimately, he finished the 2024 season with only 1,814 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 47.4% of his throws in 11 games. In the offseason, Richardson also struggled with another shoulder injury that kept him out of minicamp. The team added Jones to compete for the starting job, and now with Richardson only managing three throws in the first preseason game, it appears that the former Giants QB has a chance to gain the lead in the battle. For Richardson, the injury comes at the worst time.
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