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The Cincinnati Bengals don’t get a ton of love nationally, which would explain why the team hasn’t been flexed into primetime so far this year.
But Bengals players do end up making interesting lists pretty consistently.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, for example, just named his “All-Underrated Team” for this year and two Bengals make the list — tight end C.J. Uzomah and rookie kicker Evan McPherson.
Barnwell says Uzomah is in line for a notable raise on his next contract:
“Coming off a torn Achilles, he has caught 27 of the 31 passes thrown in his direction this season for an 87.1% catch rate. He ranks second in catch rate and catch rate over expectation behind Broncos tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Both players catch shorter passes than most of their tight end brethren, but Uzomah sees the ball more frequently, averaging a remarkable 10.4 yards per target. He also chips in as a very solid run-blocker.”
That might be true, too, given Uzomah’s importance to the locker room as a leader. It sure doesn’t hurt that he’s connected with Joe Burrow twice on what were essentially game-winning plays to set up field goals.
As for McPherson, the fifth-round pick has been stellar, making 15-of-18 attempts so far. The fact he nailed three kicks from 50-plus yards in his team’s Week 11 win over the Las Vegas Raiders won him a weekly award, too.
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