Pete Prisco’s latest NFL player rankings once again put the Bengals’ biggest stars in the spotlight, and both Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase moved up.
Burrow checks in at No. 5 overall in CBS Sports’ annual list, a jump from No. 7 a year ago. Prisco pointed to the quarterback’s limited availability last season and the production he still managed when he was on the field.
“After playing 17 games in 2024, the injury bug got him again last season as he played just eight games,” Prisco wrote. “He threw 17 touchdown passes and five picks in those games. The key for him is staying on the field.”
Chase lands just ahead of him at No. 4, climbing from No. 8 last year. Prisco’s case for the receiver was built around volume and consistency, even with Burrow missing time.
“He finished third in the league in catches with 125 last season, even with Joe Burrow missing time. He has 252 catches over the past two seasons to lead all receivers.”
That means Cincinnati has two players inside the NFL’s top five, with Myles Garrett, Matthew Stafford and Josh Allen sitting in front of them.
The Bengals had two more names show up on the top 100 as well: Tee Higgins at No. 89 and Dexter Lawrence at No. 91.
There’s room to debate where Burrow and Allen belong in the top five, but the bigger picture is hard to miss. Cincinnati has two of the league’s five best players on one roster, and that’s a pretty strong place to start.
In Other News...
Andrew Whitworth Just Weighed In On The Bengals Burrow Debate
Andrew Whitworths take on the Bengals quarterback chatter carried the kind of weight only a former franchise cornerstone can bring. The retired offensive tackle made it clear he sees Cincinnatis identity as already tied to Joe Burrow, pointing to the way the organization has reshaped itself around its quarterback since Burrow arrived and made a much more aggressive push to build a contender.
Whitworth also framed the discussion in a way Bengals fans know all too well: the team has invested heavily, extended key homegrown players and gone after outside help, but the whole plan still turns on Burrow staying on the field. For Cincinnati, that is the real hinge point in any championship conversation, and it is why the latest debate feels less like a roster question than a reminder of how fragile the window can be. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Allen Knows Exactly What Bengals Fans Feared Up Front
Jonathan Allens arrival gives Cincinnati exactly the kind of interior presence it had been searching for, but it also reinforces the idea that the Bengals are not looking to lean on one or two big bodies and call it solved. Between Dexter Lawrence, BJ Hill, TJ Slaton, Kris Jenkins, McKinnley Jackson and Landon Robinson, the depth chart has become a real competition, and the bigger picture is pretty clear: the Bengals want more than just names up front. They want enough rotation to keep the group fresh and productive.
Allen has already made his own view of the plan known, preferring a workload that keeps him from being overextended after what he felt was too much last season. That meshes with what Cincinnati is building, but it also puts a spotlight on how the snaps will actually be divided once the games start mattering. The Bengals addressed one of their most obvious roster concerns, but the exact answer to who handles the heaviest load inside is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
What A Real Year 2 Leap Would Mean For Shemar Stewart
Shemar Stewarts first NFL season gave the Bengals only a thin glimpse of what they drafted, and the larger question now is whether a second-year leap can turn flashes into something closer to a real role. Cincinnati needs more from the edge, and Stewarts development matters because the front office cannot keep waiting forever for a young pass rusher to become more than a project.
The path is there, but it is crowded and still unfinished. Stewart is trying to build on a rookie year that produced modest returns, and the Bengals are heading into another season with multiple players in the mix for snaps on the edge, which means every practice rep and every early-season opportunity will count. A meaningful jump would not just help Stewart, it could change the shape of Cincinnatis rotation. [Read more 🡒]