Joe Burrow keeps drawing the kind of comparison that usually gets reserved for the rarest quarterbacks in the sport, and this time it came from a Ravens player during the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2026.
That’s been the Burrow story for a while now. Even before the Bengals drafted him, he was getting measured against Tom Brady, a standard that hardly anyone can survive.
Brady sits in the conversation for the best quarterback in NFL history, thanks to the championships and the numbers. Burrow hasn’t reached that level and is still chasing his first ring, but he has already shown the kind of presence that changes a franchise.
Cincinnati went from one of the worst teams in the league to a Super Bowl team after he arrived, and Burrow was a huge part of that turnaround.
Even if he never gets all the way to Brady’s heights, he’s still the kind of quarterback people will keep watching.
There was also a bright spot for the Bengals’ linebackers on Thursday morning. Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter, both coming off tough rookie seasons, showed a little more confidence in training camp and teamed up for a rare interception of Joe Burrow. It was a notable moment for a defense that needs development, and how much that unit improves may hinge on how those two progress.
Elsewhere in camp, Chase Brown got a chance to hear from one of the old-school Bengals greats. Brown and 67-year-old James Brooks had a meeting of little big men, and Brown came away impressed.
“It looks like he can still play,” Brown said of Brooks. “He was talking about how being physical is a mentality, and he carried that chip on his shoulder.
And it was funny because I couldn’t agree with him more. I mean, I carry the same thing on my shoulder.
Brooks handing down anything to Brown is a pretty cool scene on its own, and Brown’s comments made it clear he saw the value in it. Brooks was a do-it-all back in his day, and Brown is now taking on that same kind of mantle for Cincinnati.
The biggest injury note of the day involved the Bengals’ 2025 first-round pick, Stewart. He went down Wednesday during team drills on the opening day of training camp, was carted off the field, and later had imaging done to check the damage.
The early read is encouraging compared with how bad it looked in the moment. Stewart tried to walk it off before getting carted away, and that alone made the situation look potentially season-ending. Instead, the outcome appears to be the best-case scenario, even if he’ll still miss valuable reps after already losing so much time last year.
In Other News...
Noah Thomas Is Giving Bengals Fans A New Camp Receiver To Watch
Training camp always creates a few new names for fans to track, and Noah Thomas has already worked his way into that conversation. During a Bengals practice, the rookie wide receiver made a notable contested catch that turned heads, then added another grab on a shorter pass from Joe Flacco. It was the kind of early-camp sequence that can matter for an undrafted or late-round player trying to show he belongs in a crowded receiver room.
Ja'Marr Chase noticed, too, and his praise carried some weight. Chase pointed to Thomass ability in jump-ball situations and even drew a comparison to Tee Higgins, which is the sort of endorsement that can get attention quickly around camp. For a Bengals offense built around proven pass catchers, Thomas is still very much in the proving stage, but he has at least given fans a reason to keep watching every rep. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals May Have An In-House Answer To Shemar Stewarts Absence
Shemar Stewarts injury has pushed the Bengals to look harder at their edge-rush depth, and Isaiah Foskey has emerged as a name worth watching in camp. The former Notre Dame standout joined Cincinnati last season and already has a built-in connection to coach Al Golden, which gives him a familiar foothold as the team sorts through options for shoring up the pass rush.
Foskey flashed in limited action a year ago and has been working toward a bigger role, with the kind of versatility that can matter when a roster spot is up for grabs. For Cincinnati, the question now is whether that early promise and his comfort in Goldens defensive system can translate into the chance to help replace what Stewart was supposed to provide. [Read more 🡒]
Zac Taylor Sent Bengals Camp A Message Fans Wont Ignore
Training camp has given Zac Taylor a chance to reset the tone after a 6-11 season that left plenty of unfinished business in Cincinnati. The Bengals coach, along with newcomers and returning players, has been framing last year less as a weight to carry and more as fuel to push the group forward, with Dalton Risner and DJ Turner also addressing how the team has handled the disappointment.
Taylor said the record from last season is motivation, not baggage, and he has described the upcoming chase as something that brings excitement rather than pressure. Turner, meanwhile, made it clear he is tired of the team being defined by what happened a year ago and wants the focus on what comes next, which is exactly the kind of mindset Cincinnati needs as camp ramps up and expectations follow it every day. [Read more 🡒]