Bengals’ Joe Burrow Disrespected In Recent NFL QB Rankings

Most would probably agree that Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow is a top-five quarterback in the NFL when healthy, or at least somewhere within that range.

Don’t tell that to Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon, who has ranked Burrow ninth in his recent list of the top quarterbacks in football.

Put down the torches and pitchforks for a second. Gagnon does have a qualifier.

Gagnon is sure to state that if Burrow has a fully healthy 2024, he could re-establish himself as a top-five player at his position, so Gagnon’s ranking had something to do with the fact that Burrow only played in 10 games last season due to a wrist injury that knocked him out in Week 11.

Not only that, but Burrow dealt with a calf issue that severely limited him over the first several games.

Still, based on Burrow’s history, he probably deserves a spot in the top five, and placing him below the likes of Jalen Hurts, Jared Goff and even C.J. Stroud seems like overkill.

Before bowing out with the wrist injury in 2023, Burrow had thrown for 2,309 yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 66.8 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 91. Keep in mind: the balky calf caused him to get off to a very slow start.

The year prior, Burrow totaled 4,475 yards, 35 touchdowns and 12 picks, completing 68.3 percent of his throws and registering a 100.8 passer rating. He made the Pro Bowl and finished fourth in MVP voting for his efforts.

Burrow, who played his collegiate football at LSU, was selected by the Bengals with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft.

A knee injury knocked him out after just 10 games during his rookie campaign, but the following season, Burrow led Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance after finishing with 4,611 yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He completed a league-best 70.4 percent of his passes and recorded a passer rating of 108.3 in what was arguably his best year to date.

Given everything Burrow achieved in 2021 and 2022, it just seems hard to justify placing him ninth on the list of quarterbacks in the NFL unless you are expecting him to get injured again in 2024.

There is very little doubt that a healthy Joe Burrow is one of the best players in football, and if his wrist is 100 percent heading into next season, the Bengals may end up being the Kansas City Chiefs’ biggest threat in the AFC.