Joe Burrow
Getty
Joe Burrow stands on the field as the Cincinnati Bengals face the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cincinnati Bengals are facing some pressure entering the 2026 season. If you say they’re not, then that’s on you.
The team has made some impressive offseason moves to improve their team. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer weighed in the Bengals’ expectations for the season.
“And, finally, speaking of pressure, there’ll be some on the Bengals,” Breer wrote. “Cincinnati switched up its standard operating procedure this offseason, trading the 10th pick for Dexter Lawrence II to punctuate a defensive makeover that started with the signings of Chiefs safety Bryan Cook and Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe in March.”
Joe Burrow Believes This is Bengals’ Best Roster in Years
“I think this is the most talented roster that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Burrow said during a May press conference.
“Got better at a lot of positions. Signed the best free agent safety. Got the best d-tackle in the league, in my opinion,” Burrow said. “We have a lot of depth now in the defensive line. That’s exciting, not just for me, but for those guys, so they don’t have to play as many snaps. We can have more of a rotation.”
Joe Burrow arguably had the best collegiate season ever when he suited up for LSU in 2019. A team that had two of the best receivers in the NFL currently in Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Burrow recently compared this 2026 Bengals team to the legendary 2019 LSU Tigers.
“You go back and watch what I said before the 2019 season at LSU,” Burrow said in June. “I feel very similarly about this team. I’m so excited to get started and get moving. I wish we ramped this right into training camp so we can continue to improve. I feel like there’s so much greatness we’ll be able to achieve this year that I’m just excited to get going.”
Joe Burrow Welcomes Pressure
All eyes will be Joe Burrow considering he is expected to be fully healthy this year. It’s been a rough three years for Cincy, and the team looks to get back to form after their Super Bowl appearance during the 2021 season. Burrow is welcoming all pressure considering how much talent Cincy has.
“Put pressure on guys,” Burrow said Wednesday. “I love it. I thrive in it. We’ll find out who else does. I know we have the kind of people who want to be in that spot. I want everybody talking about the Bengals. I want everybody talking about what I’m saying in my press conferences.”
Breer wrote that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Bengals met the Los Angeles Rams again under the same circumstances with a Super Bowl on the line.
“Count me among those who can see a world in which Burrow is the best quarterback in football this year and the Bengals are in the Super Bowl, perhaps against those same Rams they faced in that same stadium on that same stage they climbed on in February 2022,” Breer wrote.
“That’s not a prediction yet. But it’s a possibility, and possibilities are what camps about.”