Bengals Ring of Honor member Willie Anderson's fifth straight trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame finals features first-time eligibles Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald, as well as second-timer, Eli Manning in the modern era category of 15 players released by the Canton shrine Tuesday morning.

The announcement finalized two hotly competitive ballots of 20 marquee names that includes Bengals all-time passing leader Ken Anderson in the senior/coach/contributor category, where former head coach Bill Belichick and his owner Robert Kraft reached the finals for the first time for building the New England dynasty that ruled the first two decades of this century.

Willie Anderson, regarded in the game as the best right tackle in the turn-of-the-century NFL, joins three other players who also automatically qualified for the finals via last year's top seven finish:

Cincinnati product Luke Kuechly, who had a brief but brilliant career at linebacker with the Panthers, clutch Patriots and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, and wide receiver Torry Holt from the Rams' Greatest Show On Turf.

Willie Anderson, the only right tackle to get three straight first-team All-Pro nods since the 1970s, is the lone offensive tackle on a ballot that includes six other finalists from last year:

Offensive linemen Jahri Evans and Marshal Yanda, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, safety Darren Woodson, linebacker Terrell Suggs and Manning.

Rounding out the modern-era ballot of 15 are first-time eligibles Jason Witten, the prolific tight end, and Frank Gore, the long-time running back, as well as defensive tackle Kevin Williams in his first trip to the finals in his sixth year of eligibility.

Only Holt and Wayne, with seven appearances each, have been to the finals more than Willie Anderson.

The 50-member selection committee meets before the Super Bowl, when they can elect up to five names off the modern era ballot. After the final cut to seven, they compete against each other to see who gets the required 80%, and at least three must make it.

The committee votes separately for the finalists from the seniors/coach/contributor committee. Ken Anderson joins two other seniors (players who have been retired for 25 years) in 49ers running back Roger Craig and Steelers defensive linemen L.C. Greenwood.

The players are competing against Belichick and Kraft. They also need 80% for induction with a maximum of three and a minimum of one.

It's Ken Anderson's first finals shot as a senior and first since he was a modern-era candidate in 1998.

When the Hall changed its voting procedure last year to make election more stringent, the voters emerged with the minimum class of four. Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, and Eric Allen came out of the modern era and Packers wide receiver Sterling Sharpe from the seniors/coach/contributor category.

The 2026 class is unveiled Feb. 5 during NFL Honors in a telecast aired on NBC and NFL Network and streamed on Peacock and NFL+.

Bengals.com is a member of the selection committee.