Anthony Munoz lands at No. 19 on CBS Sports’ all-time NFL player list

Cincinnati Bengals Hall of Fame left tackle Anthony Munoz has been ranked No. 19 on a new all-time NFL players list published by CBS Sports writer Bryan DeArdo. The ranking positions Munoz among the league’s top 20 players across its entire history, an honor that underscores how durable his reputation has remained long after his playing days.

The list frames Munoz’s standing in a sweeping way, placing him not just among notable offensive linemen but among what it describes as the NFL’s most phenomenal players overall. In that context, the write-up elevates his left-tackle role as a defining standard, saying Munoz was “the best left tackle in NFL history.”

For Bengals fans, the placement is significant not only because Munoz is one of the franchise’s most recognizable figures, but because the left tackle position is often where the NFL’s most demanding pass-protection matchups get settled. Munoz’s status in an all-time comparison is a reminder of how impact at the tackle spot can become more than a function of athleticism, turning into a legacy category for technique, consistency, and protection value.

DeArdo’s list, as reported through Yahoo Sports, describes Munoz as one of a smaller group of players to appear in the top tier of a top 100, emphasizing that it includes “dozens” of exceptional players and not only elite stars. Munoz’s No. 19 ranking therefore carries the weight of being chosen from a deep historical pool, where modern names share space with players whose careers ended before today’s analytics era.

While the ranking is the story’s headline, it also points to the way football fans evaluate offensive linemen across generations. Quarterbacks and skill players often dominate the conversation because their production is easiest to quantify, but all-time lists increasingly reflect how blocking at the tackle position can control game flow, protect the passing game, and affect how offenses are allowed to operate.

Munoz’s appearance near the top 20 also invites a question about what people value most when ranking players across eras. Without changing the underlying claim that he is recognized as the best left tackle in league history, the placement suggests that voters or writers are considering more than highlight moments, including long-term dominance and the positional weight of protecting the quarterback’s blind side.

Looking ahead, lists like this tend to become conversation starters as teams and media outlets debate comparisons between eras. For the NFL, the broader takeaway is that the league’s greatest players can be defined as much by line play as by skill positions, and Munoz remains a benchmark example when that debate turns to left tackles. He appears, again, at the center of that discussion at No. 19 on a top 100 roster of all-time NFL players.