During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. In this edition, the Cincinnati Bengals are the focus.
Faces of the Cincinnati Bengals
Andy Dalton
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton is entering his fifth season in the NFL, and, for better or worse, he is one of the faces of the Bengals franchise. The former TCU Horned Frog is a good quarterback, and he can make all throws, but he needs to cut down on the turnovers if he wants to be more successful, particularly in the postseason. In 2014 Dalton threw 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in the regular season. That is not a recipe for winning a Super Bowl, but the Red Rifle has proven he can win games, going 40-32-1 in his first four seasons in the NFL. Plus, the Bengals’ wide receiving corps was banged up last season and Dalton’s favorite targets all missed multiple games. The Bengals’ signal caller has also led Cincinnati to postseason berths in each of his first four years in the league, but he has struggled in the playoffs, going 0-4 and throwing only one touchdown and six interceptions.
All eyes will be on Dalton during the 2015 season due to the contract he signed last August. At the time, it was reported that the Bengals and their quarterback had come to terms on a six-year, $96 million deal. But if you look at the way the contract was structured, it is essentially a year-to-year deal and the Bengals won’t owe Dalton any guaranteed money after the 2015 season. It will be interesting to see how Dalton performs in 2015 and if he is back as one of the faces of the Bengals franchise in 2016.
A.J. Green
Like his quarterback, wide receiver A.J. Green is entering his fifth season in the NFL. The former first-round draft pick of the 2011 NFL Draft is one of the more talented receivers in the league. In 2014 the former Georgia Bulldog had 69 receptions for 1,041 yards and six touchdowns despite missing three games due to injury. Green is set to make $10.18 million in 2015 as part of his fifth-year option on his rookie deal.
Green and the Bengals could possibly come to terms on a long-term deal before the 2015 season starts, but that is doubtful. The talented wideout has no plans to hold out for a new deal and he will most likely play the 2015 season without a long-term deal in place. While there is no guarantee of when a deal will get done, the team and Green will most likely agree to a new contract after the 2015 season. The one thing fans can be confident about is there is no way the Bengals let Green walk after the 2015 season. They will lock up their star wide receiver to a new deal and he will continue to be one of, if not the, face of the Bengals franchise.
Devon Still
Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still is entering his fourth season in the NFL after being drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The former Penn State All-American is not necessarily on this list for what he has done on the field, although he can certainly play. The reason Still makes this list is because of the grace and strength he and his daughter Leah have shown as Leah (five years old) has battled cancer. In June 2014, Leah was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, and she was believed to have a 50-50 chance of survival. Leah’s father and the entire NFL community rallied around her as she gave a powerful lesson about how to fight. In March of this year, Leah went into remission and her radiation treatments are part of the final steps to a complete recovery from this awful disease.
Leah and her father will receive the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at next week’s ESPYS in Los Angeles and the Still family is hoping Leah’s doctors will say she is okay to make the trip. Through showing his love and support for his daughter, the Bengals defensive tackle became one of the faces of the Bengals and the NFL last season. It’s hard to not pull for #75, no matter who you root for in the NFL, and, of course, everyone is still pulling for Leah.
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