Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow
turned heads this week with his evaluation of Cincinnati
's roster. Let's prove why he's right to call the 2026 team the "most talented" he's been a part of since entering the NFL.
Joe Burrow told the world he's never been on a better Cincinnati Bengals
team in his six years since being drafted.
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"This is the most talented roster we've had since I've been here," Burrow said Wednesday
afternoon in his first press conference since the 2025 season ended.
That got the attention of everyone from Cincinnati and all corners of the NFL media. Cincinnati is fresh off a 6-11 season and hasn't made the playoffs since 2022. The rosters from that year and 2021, the one that went to the Super Bowl, are easily the best that Burrow has played with. The free agent signings of Bryan Cook
, Boye Mafe
, Jonathan Allen
, the trade for Dexter Lawrence
, and seven selections from the 2026 NFL Draft have him thinking this year's team is even better.
Let's see why he believes that, and examine what still needs to develop for his assertion to be fully true.
Weakness-proof offense
There are no excuses for the Bengals to not have a great offense. Much like the 2021 and 2022 teams, Burrow has two elite wide receivers in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins
to target. Tight end Mike Gesicki
is the best receiver who technically plays the position in his career. Running back Chase Brown
is a proven RB1 who can play on all three downs as well.
The main difference between this roster and the 2021-22 squads is the offensive line. Previous units had starters such as Jackson Carman
, Hakeem Adeniji
, Isaiah Prince
, and Cordell Volson
. Cincinnati's o-line entering 2026 is as solid as its been in a decade with no real weak spot. Continued ascensions for both Amarius Mims
and Dylan Fairchild
will only raise the ceiling.
It's not a flawless starting 11, but it's damn near close.
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Defensive line of waves
There is no Trey Hendrickson
(that we know of) on the Bengals' defensive line, but it has become an extremely well-built unit from top to bottom.
Lawrence, Mafe, and Allen join incumbent starters Myles Murphy
and B.J. Hill
to form a strong starting five in their bas 5-2 (3-4) front. The second-string is what takes it to a new level. Cashius Howell and Shemar Stewart
are the first EDGEs off the bench. On obvious passing downs when the line goes with four, Allen can come in for Hill and vice versa. Kris Jenkins Jr., McKinnley Jackson
, and seventh-round pick Landon Robinson are perfectly casted for the reserves of the defensive tackle group.
It's a deep unit that is primed to become a force for opposing offensive lines for all four quarters.
Overall depth
Just in general, the depth of the Bengals' roster is in a much better place than in previous seasons.
Joe Flacco
is backing up Burrow. Mitchell Tinsley
and fouth-round pick Colbie Young
figure to be the first receivers off the bench. Erick All Jr. and seventh-round pick Jack Endries are quality options behind Gesicki and Drew Sample
at TE. The draft provided Cincy with two high-floor o-linemen in fourth-rounder Connor Lew and sixth-round pick Brian Parker II to backup multiple spots. The aforementioned d-line is stacked, and the secondary has more depth with third-round pick Tacario Davis
at cornerback, and free agent signing Kyle Dugger
at safety.
Injuries are inevitable. Depth is going to be tested for every NFL club. The Bengals can now rely on areas of their roster that used to be major weaknesses.
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Where the 2026 Bengals need to be better
Linebacker and slot cornerback are the positions that didn't get very much attention from Cincinnati this offseason. Logan Wilson
, Germaine Pratt
, and Mike Hilton
, all in their primes, used to man these respective spots. The current talent can't hold a candle to those three.
If there's an argument against Burrow's statement, it lies here. How much are Barrett Carter
, Demetrius Knight
Jr., and Jalen Davis
going to grow or stagnate the Bengals' defense this year? Davis is likely who he is at this point at 30 years of age, but there's still hope for Carter and Knight to take needed leaps.
Burrow's statement looks correct on paper. Even if there are lingering questions on defense, he's never had an offensive line this complete while his receivers room remains stacked. His defense has also never featured as much group-wide pass rushing juice with a competent secondary behind it.
All of it, however, is on paper. Cincinnati proving Burrow right will be what determines if his Super Bowl prediction
comes true.
