Geno Atkins’ Hall of Fame resume boosted with All-Decade team nod

Geno Atkins just received a massive honor.

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Geno Atkins could easily end up being Hall of Famer No. 2 for the Cincinnati Bengals, joining Anthony Munoz in Canton.

This idea was already a prominent one before this week given Atkins’ incredible career pace. But Monday, Atkins found himself listed on the NFL’s official 2010s All-Decade Team.

And as The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. noted, this is a big deal for the long-term resume: “I hear All-Decade teams referenced a lot in discussions of older HOF candidates.”

The running resume? A fourth-round pick in 2010, Atkins has made eight Pro Bowls, two first team All-Pro selections and has 75.5 sacks. He was already named the 12th best defensive tackle in history by Gil Brandt in 2017. He’s currently 81st all-time in sacks and counting and in a slapfight with Carlos Dunlap for the franchise record. He has 100 career tackles for loss and 171 quarterback hits — and those are just the quantifiable stats, never mind his non-statistical impact on an entire unit and game.

At this pace, it won’t take long for Atkins to make the hall once he retires. That said, he could still play for a long, long time, as the new coaching staff’s plan is to reduce his role, making him even more effective when he’s on the field.

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