PFF issues bold Joe Burrow verdict despite injury concerns

Dec 28, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) leaves the field after a game against the Arizona Cardinals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

PFF issues bold Joe Burrow verdict despite injury concerns

Originally posted on CincinnatiBengalsCommunity
By Aaindri Thakuri | Last updated Jul 9, 2026 12:51 AM ET

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The Cincinnati Bengals know they have a superstar in quarterback Joe Burrow. The only major problem has been keeping him on the field. Burrow has struggled with serious injuries throughout his first six NFL seasons. Despite these health scares, he remains one of the absolute best players in football.

As the 2026 season approaches, the Bengals truly believe that if they can keep their star quarterback healthy, they can turn the script around and make a run to the Super Bowl. The data experts Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick at Pro Football Focus still view Burrow as an elite talent.

“A year ago, the only real knock on Joe Burrow was his health,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick wrote on July 2. “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.”

PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick state that a severe turf toe injury limited Burrow to just eight games last year, but his high level of play never slipped. He earned an incredible 91.8 overall offensive grade, ranking second among forty-three qualifying quarterbacks.

He was deadly accurate, ranking near the very top of the league in perfect throws. Even better, Burrow protected the football historically well, posting the lowest turnover-worthy play rate recorded by PFF since 2006.

Looking forward, PFF ranks Burrow as the second-best quarterback in the NFL for 2026, right behind Buffalo’s Josh Allen and just ahead of Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. They place Burrow in an elite, five-man tier of signal-callers who stand alone at the top of the league.

Experts believe that if Burrow stays healthy, the Bengals can beat anyone. And truly, with all the new adjustments that the team has brought this season, the Super Bowl doesn’t seem impossible to reach.

Joe Burrow’s meaner leadership approach in the Bengals has started bringing in results

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow wants to change how he leads his team. As the team entered training camp, Burrow decided he needed to be “more vocal in a mean way” to hold his teammates more accountable.

Dan Hoard, the voice of the Bengals, has already noticed this shift. During recent offseason practices, Hoard saw Burrow get visibly angry and slam a football into the ground after a messed-up play.

“I do think that he is trying to be a little bit more stern or mean in the way that he leads,” Hoard said on the Locked On Bengals Podcast. “And I saw a little evidence of that during the OTAs and minicamp.”

Burrow knows the team needs to break its cycle of slow starts and late-season struggles. By bringing more urgency and a tougher attitude to the field, he hopes to push the Bengals to stay sharp and execute better.

This new, commanding approach will face its next big test when training camp begins and the team prepares for the upcoming season.

This article first appeared on CincinnatiBengalsCommunity and was syndicated with permission.

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