Bengals land Atkins, Green in Pro Bowl
Fejedelem, Burfict will be alternates for NFL’s all-star game.
Cincinnati Bengals CINCINNATI — defensive tackle Geno Atkins and wide receiver A.J. Green will represent the AFC in this year’s Pro Bowl, the league announced Tuesday night.
Atkins, who will be making his fourth consecutive appearance and sixth in his eight seasons, received the most fan votes among AFC defensive tackles to earn a starting nod, while Green will be a reserve.
“Geno is having a strong and consistent season playing at a high level, and it is great to see him honored once again,” Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said. “A.J.’s production on the field continues to rival the all-time greats at his position. His peers recognize his immense value as a receiver, voting him to an unprecedented seventh consecutive Pro Bowl to start his career.”
Green, who was third among AFC receivers in fan voting, is the only Bengals player to make the Pro Bowl in each of his first seven seasons in the league. He trails only Hall of Fame tackle Anthony Munoz (11) for the most appearances in franchise history.
This is Atkins’ sixth appearance, and it ties him with Lemar Parrish for the most among Bengals defensive players. Wide receiver Chad Johnson also appeared in six Pro Bowls.
Atkins leads the Bengals this season with nine sacks, a total that is among the leaders for interior defensive linemen. He’s also tied for the team lead in QB hits (19) and tackles for losses (10).
Green, who has 67 receptions for 980 yards and eight touchdowns, is the only NFL receiver since the 1970 merger to start his career with seven consecutive Pro Bowl nominations.
Two other Bengals were named alternates.
Clayton Fejedelem is a second alternate as a special teams player, which is significant given that the second-year safety did not appear in the top 10 of the final fan vote. That means he was one of the top vote-getters from the coaches and players.
Vontaze Burfict, who also was not among the top 10 in fan voting, is a fourth alternate at linebacker.
The Pro Bowl will be played Sunday, Jan. 28, in Orlando, Fla.
Roster moves: The Bengals signed two offensive linemen to the practice squad Tuesday. Tackle Javarius Leamon and guard Oni Omoile could find themselves promoted to the 53-man roster by the end of the week and active for Sunday’s home finale against Detroit.
The Bengals are down to six healthy linemen after starting tackles Cedric Ogbuehi (shoulder) and Andre Smith (knee) suffered injuries in Sunday’s 34-7 loss at Minnesota. Backup center/guard T.J. Johnson went on season-ending injured reserve with a pectoral injury Sunday.
They also have tackle Kent Perkins on the practice squad. Perkins is a rookie free agent who has been with the team since training camp.
The only other tackle on the 53-man roster is 11-year veteran Eric Winston, whom the Bengals signed off the street last month as an insurance policy. Winston was with the Bengals from 201416, appearing in eight games with three starts.
The 6-foot-7 Leamon is a rookie out of South Carolina State, who originally signed with the N.Y. Jets as a college free agent. He was waived in final cuts, and then later spent time on Arizona’s practice squad.
Omoile (6-3, 305) is a firstyear player out of Iowa State who entered the NFL in 2016 as a college free agent with Oakland, where he spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad. He was waived by the Raiders during final cuts this season, and then spent time briefly on Jacksonville’s practice squad.