The Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2024 will officially be inducted on Aug. 3.
With less than a month until the annual event in Canton, Ohio, we're examining which players — past and present — on the league's 32 teams we think will one day receive a similar honor.
Here are three Cincinnati Bengals who should eventually receive football immortality.
Offensive tackle Willie Anderson
Anderson fell just short as a Hall of Fame finalist for the third straight year, but it was his closest call yet as many believe his time is nearing.
"I think he'll get in at some point," Bengals Hall of Fame left tackle Anthony Munoz said, via the team's website. "There is momentum building for him. There should be momentum building for him."
Anderson was one of the best offensive tackles at the turn of the century, earning first-team All-Pro honors three times (2004-2006) and being elected to four Pro Bowls (2003-2006).
He hung up his cleats following his lone season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008, capping off what many believe was a 13-year Hall of Fame career.
Wide receiver Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson
Johnson, a second-round pick by Cincinnati in 2001, is known as one of the best route runners in NFL history. The three-time first-team All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler had seven 1,000-yard seasons, finishing his career with 766 catches for 11,059 yards and 67 touchdowns.
While "Ochocinco" ranks 40th all-time in receiving yards, 42nd all-time in receptions and 57th all-time in receiving touchdowns, he still believes he's worthy of Canton.
"I invested myself and put my own Hall of Fame jacket in the middle of the game, and that probably doesn't sit well with people that are in the position of power to vote me in," Johnson said, via Ryan Morik of Fox News. "And I'm fine with that, which is why I put my jacket on, to let them know I felt I was Hall of Fame-worthy and I'm not waiting on you."
If there were a Hall of Fame for smack talking, Johnson would already be in it, but he may still have to wait a little while longer to finally get his official gold jacket.
Running back Corey Dillon
Dillon put together a very productive 10-year NFL career before officially retiring in 2007.
The four-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XXXIX champion had six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, finishing with 11,241 rushing yards, which ranks 20th all-time, and 82 rushing touchdowns, ranking 19th all-time.
Dillon is also among just 14 running backs who have at least 10,000 career rushing yards and averaged more than 4.3 yards per attempt.
That is why he thinks he's earned a spot in the Hall of Fame, and maybe he's right.
"There are a lot of Hall of Famers that did far more worse [expletive] than I did," Dillon said, via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. "On top of that, I thought the game was predicated on numbers. Are people looking at the numbers like, 'Nah, nah?' I don't think so."
