Glenn Kaplan
Updated:
Defensive tackle Geno Atkins was a fourth-round selection for the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2010 NFL Draft. He played for the Georgia Bulldogs in college. Atkins made the playoffs a few times with the Bengals. He anchored the Cincinnati defensive line from 2010-2020. There is a chance that he could wind up in Canton, Ohio with the type of NFL career he had. This was his first year of eligibility to get into Canton, Ohio.
In 11 NFL seasons, he played in all 16 games nine times. His durability and strength are what helped this defense be successful week in and week out. Atkins did not get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026, but there is a chance that he could make it for future seasons.
Geno Atkins headlines Cincinnati Bengals top defensive players over the last 20 seasons by profootballfocus.com
It is not a secret that Atkins was one of the best players on the Bengals defense over the last 20 seasons in the NFL. Nathan Jahnke of profootballfocus.com created a team of the best Bengals defensive players over the last 20 seasons. Atkins was named to Cincinnati’s all-defensive team over the last 20 seasons. D.J. Reader was the other defensive tackle named to this roster. Trey Hendrickson and Carlos Dunlap were the best edge rushers on this roster over the last 20 seasons.
Jahnke said about this Bengals defense over the years, “Half of the All-PFF defense includes players who played with Joe Burrow, but the best players at each position all played before the PFF era. Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap, Vontaze Burfict, Adam Jones and Reggie Nelson played four years together, and most of them played more seasons in Cincinnati.
There were a few close calls for the final few spots. At cornerback, Mike Hilton played 3,500 snaps to 3,478 by William Jackson III, and similarly had a slightly higher overall grade at 80.6 to 79.5. At defensive tackle, four players received more defensive snaps than DJ Reader, but Reader graded notably better than the rest of the group outside of Atkins.”
There were some other players on this all-Bengals defensive team that also played with Atkins over the years. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict, linebacker Sam Hubbard, and cornerback Adam Jones also played on the same defense as Atkins.
Career Accomplishments
During his NFL career, he made it to eight Pro Bowls. To go along with eight Pro Bowls he was in, he was second-team All-Pro in 2011 and first-team All-Pro in 2012 and in 2015. Atkins played in 161 career games in the NFL. During those games, Atkins recorded 383 tackles, 75.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and six pass deflections. He was one of the best defensive tackles during his era.
During his 11 seasons in the NFL, he recorded six or more sacks six times in his career. Atkins played for head coach Marvin Lewis most of his NFL career. He played for head coach Zac Taylor for the final two seasons of his NFL career. On December 16, 2020, he was placed on injured reserve for shoulder surgery and was released from the team on March 19, 2021. That was the final time he was with the Bengals organization. Atkins no doubt was one of the best players who has played for this franchise.
