Carlos Dunlap is the all-time sack leader for the Cincinnati Bengals, even though his days with the only franchise he's ever played for appear to be numbered. Dunlap has already been removed as a starter on the team's depth chart and has played under 50% of the defensive snaps over the last two weeks.
Those snap count numbers appear to be getting even lower now, as Dunlap posted on Instagram he has been demoted to third string on the team's depth chart. Dunlap posted a photo of a white board from the Bengals facility showing he's been demoted to the third team -- as No. 96 was listed behind Carl Lawson (No. 58), Margus Hunt (No. 70), Khalid Kareem (No. 90), and Amani Bledsoe (No. 91). Whether Dunlap will be inactive for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns will be determined, but the Bengals will have incentive to sit him after posting a photo from the team's facilities.
Dunlap also had a message attached to the post, showcasing his frustration with the team he has spent the last 11 seasons playing with.
"'Stand Down And Stand By' is what this tells me. (Head coach) Zac (Taylor) and (defensive coordinator) Lou (Anarumo), they got an experiment, but I don't got time for this."
Dunlap has been complaining about his role on the defense for weeks, feeling he could provide a spark to one of the worst run defenses in the league. Basically Dunlap -- who has 24.5 sacks over the past three seasons -- has been relegated to a third-down pass rusher.
"It sounds like it's not going to be me in there," Dunlap said to Bengals reporters a few weeks ago. "I think they want a different run stopper. I think I can give that to them.
"It just seems like this is what the coaches want. I don't know what the thought is, but evidently, focus on third down. So we've got to get them to third down with the young boys and do what I'm asked to do."
Dunlap has just one sack this year in a reduced role, adding even more speculation the Bengals will look to move on from the 31-year-old. Signed through 2021 and with the trade deadline less than two weeks away, the Bengals may try to find some takers from the veteran, even though they may not be sellers before November 3.
