Bengals risk wasting Joe Burrow’s prime

For all the praise surrounding Joe Burrow and Cincinnati’s explosive offense, the Bengals continue putting their franchise quarterback in a brutal position every Sunday. 

Burrow is not just being asked to go out there every weekend and win. Now he is being put in a position with little margin for error because the Bengals defense has become such a massive liability. 

When your QB has to walk out to the field every week knowing 30+ points will be needed for their team to even compete, at some point, the pressure becomes too much.

Bengals defense leaves Burrow no room for error

The defensive numbers from the 2025 season are not a good sight to see. The Bengals gave up 28.9 ppg and 380.9 ypg, ranking towards the bottom of the league in multiple defensive statistical categories. Quarterbacks put up 233.8 ypg against Cincinnati, and opposing teams were also effective running the football for 147.1 ypg. The worst stat to take away is the 36 passing TDs they gave up. That is not a defense that helped teams win close games; it was a defense that made Burrow and the offense work for four quarters every single week.

For a quarterback like Burrow, an environment like that dictates a totally different brand of play. The Bengals simply have no ability to slow the game down or comfortably protect a lead in the second half. Instead, Cincinnati was forced to turn to Burrow again and again, demanding he play his own make-it-or-break-it style. That, over a full season, is an unsustainable way to approach the game.

Is there hope on the horizon?

Despite all of this, there is at least some optimism regarding this defense. Cincinnati definitely saw a defensive problem and attacked it on draft day. Drafting Cashius Howell in round two is an instant addition to the pass rush off the edge, while Tacario Davis gives the secondary needed size and athleticism on the outside. Even late in the draft, Landon Robinson can be seen as a swing on another defensive front that was tormented on the ground all of 2025. 

But a defense like that needs development, and putting the fate of an already NFL-worst unit solely on a handful of rookies is still asking an awful lot from Cincinnati. Defensive development is not typically rapid, especially in pass rushing and the corners. Cincinnati will likely improve on the defensive side in 2026, but a sudden transition to an average defense capable of taking pressure off of Burrow may be unrealistic.

Burrow cannot carry this defense forever

At some point, Cincinnati has to start protecting its investment in Joe Burrow beyond simply handing him a massive contract. Burrow is tied to the Bengals through the 2029 season after signing a five-year, $275 million extension, but franchise quarterbacks do not stay patient forever when they are constantly being forced to overcome the same roster flaws year after year. 

The Bengals cannot continue expecting Burrow to mask defensive issues entirely on his own while absorbing the pressure that comes with weekly shootouts. Eventually, Cincinnati must prove it can build a complete contender around its franchise quarterback. Otherwise, one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks may eventually start wondering whether another organization gives him a better chance to actually win consistently.