The Cincinnati Bengals quietly gave center Ted Karras an extension in June because of his solid play and presence within the locker room and the greater community.
Karras’s appearance on a recent rankings list also speaks to how highly he’s regarded within the team and league as a whole.
ESPN has been assembling positional rankings based on conversations with executives, coaches and scouts within the league this month (Joe Burrow, for example, charted incredibly high).
In the interior offensive linemen rankings from Jeremy Fowler, Karras doesn’t crack the top 10 — but he does show up in the “also receiving votes” section.
That might not sound like much, but we’re talking about rankings that cover both guard spots and center for all 32 teams in the league. Karras showing up at all is a big deal and confirms the team was right to lock up the 31-year-old veteran who was originally headed into the final year of his contract.
Consistency for the line is key, too, with right tackle undergoing a massive change with the combo of Trent Brown and Amarius Mims arriving to play right tackle — Karras is the heart of that consistency right in middle.
