Carlos Dunlap, DL
Imagine how Carlos Dunlap had to feel last year watching the NFL postseason.
As the former second-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, Dunlap had more than done his part to try to carry a defensive effort that would eventually get them to such high levels as to dream of a Super Bowl. Over the course of 11 seasons in Cincy, Dunlap would rack up 82.5 sacks and 20 forced fumbles and yet his team was one-and-done every year in the playoffs—when they would make it at all.
Over the last year and change, Dunlap finally switched teams and headed west to play for the Seattle Seahawks but things didn’t work out. While Seattle made the postseason in Dunlap’s first year there, they were also one-and-done and then fell out of contention the following season.
The year, however, could be a different story. For once, Dunlap decided to join the haves of the NFL instead of the have-nots and he’s made a difference on a team that needed that Melvin Ingram-sort of veteran push on the edge. Interestingly enough, the portal for him to go farther than ever means shoving aside the team he knows best.