Carlos Dunlap's Presence Needed on Bengals' Depleted Line
Something about the starting point is getting to Carlos Dunlap late in his Cincinnati Bengals career.
The second-most prolific pass rusher in team history is in the same boat as last season. He has one sack through five games after notching his first of the year in Sunday's 27-3 loss to the Ravens. Dunlap didn't start on Sunday for the first time since 2013. That is likely to change moving forward as injuries have gotten the best of the Bengals' defensive line.
They lost D.J. Reader to a season-ending quad injury and Sam Hubbard is expected to miss at least one game with a left elbow injury. Dunlap figures to slot right back into the starting lineup to replace Hubbard after playing a season-low 46% of the defensive snaps in Baltimore. Bengals fans are hoping he can tap into the play he put on tape at the end of last season.
“I mean, it’s not like I’m injured or anything. I’m not nursing anything. I’ve been blessed," Dunlap said last week after finding out he wouldn't be starting. "Eleven years in the game. But I understand business, and evidently, this is the business they want to do.”
Dunlap has five pressures this season after posting six through five games in 2019. He got into a rhythm following the loss to Arizona and ended up posting 21 pressures along with eight sacks over the final half of last season.
The veteran had a career-high 63 tackles in 2019, showing he still had the chops in the run game. That has been a reason for reduced playing time. Carl Lawson's run defense has taken the necessary steps forward, while Dunlap has tallied just one tackle for loss this season.
Injuries have tossed those issues out the window and left the Bengals no choice but to expand Dunlap's role against the Colts. Reader and Hubbard are the only players on the defensive line who have played more snaps than Lawson this season.
Those two are massive losses. The only one they addressed in free agency this week was the signing of defensive tackle Xavier Williams to help replace Reader. Cincinnati needs Dunlap to step up as one of the few remaining longstanding veterans left on this defensive line. He showed he can still collapse the pocket against the Ravens.
Dunlap utilizes a nasty bull rush here to drive back Ronnie Stanley. The play breaks down with Stanley sacking his quarterback. The lower body explosion at the snap leaves Stanley helpless, which isn't easy to do on a guy that was Pro Football Focus' pass blocker of the year in 2019.
Dunlap's 51.7 PFF grade was the fifth-worst amongst Bengals defenders Sunday, but he's still capable of making those "wow" plays we've seen for a decade. Now it's about finding the rhythm he closed with last season.
That kind of finish might not be enough to keep Dunlap in Cincinnati. Heading into his 12th year and a contract season, the Bengals can save roughly $11.25 million in cap space should they release him this offseason. Dunlap is on the books for a $13.5 million cap hit in 2021. The Bengals would have $2.25 million in dead money if they did release him.
Dunlap is going to be 33 when this deal runs out. He's not part of the Bengals core heading into Joe Burrow's prime.
The last phase of Dunlap's Bengals tenure is here. As a Florida alumnus, Dunlap might know a bit about the fountain of youth. He'll need to channel it if he wants a successful finish in Cincinnati.
For more on the Bengals, including the latest NFL news, go here!
