The Cincinnati Bengals are close to putting a bow on the 2026 offseason as training camp quickly approaches.
The Bengals front office went all in since missing the playoffs for the third straight season and has assembled a much-improved roster.
With that being said, the pressure is on for the players in the locker room to go out, win football games, and get the franchise back on track.
All of that starts with the leader, Joe Burrow.
ESPN recently shared the official quarterback rankings going into the 2026
season, voted on by NFL executives, coaches, and scouts across the league.
Burrow comes in at number 4 this season, behind Matthew Stafford (3), Patrick Mahomes (2), and Josh Allen (1).
“Burrow’s durability concerns pushed him out of the top three, where he resided the past two seasons. Several voters took him out of the top five due to his 16 games missed since 2023. When it comes to pure quarterback play, though, Burrow is still considered the closest resemblance to Brady’s game,” Jeremy Fowler wrote.
Multiple NFL personnel members have high respect for Burrow, stating, “ Best pocket movement in the league, accelerated vision best in the league.”
An NFL coordinator took it a step further: “Burrow doesn’t play in a system. He is the system,” the coordinator said. “He’s the whole thing,” according to Fowler.
PFF also posted their official 32 QB rankings going into the 2026 season, and Burrow sits in the top 3 this go-round.
Burrow ranks 2nd in the PFF rankings, behind Josh Allen.
“A year ago, the only real knock on Joe Burrow was his health. Entering the 2026 season, that’s still the case — because when Burrow is on the field, there’s still a compelling argument that nobody plays quarterback better. A severe turf toe injury limited him to just eight games and 259 dropbacks in 2025, but his play never slipped. Burrow earned a 91.3 PFF passing grade that ranked second among qualifying quarterbacks. He also posted the lowest turnover-worthy play rate by any quarterback with at least 250 dropbacks in the PFF era (2006-present) and finished above the 95th percentile in four of PFF’s six most stable passing metrics,” Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick wrote.
It is safe to say we get to enjoy one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the National Football League each Sunday… As long as he stays healthy.
