Where Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow ranks amongst his peers is one of the more interesting topics of discussion around the position in the NFL.
After all, Burrow had that injury-shortened rookie year before making massive leaps in his second and third seasons. And yet for some, the fact he’s playing with a stunning cast of talent at wide receiver is a negative. For others, the miserable offensive line is the counterweight.
So now that the season is over, more rankings continue to roll out. Most notable is the offering from NFL.com’s Marc Sessler, who ranks 68 passers — and Burrow comes in third overall:
“Burrow’s patchwork line dominated Buffalo in the Divisional Round only to be comprehensively crushed by the Chiefs one week later. It signaled the end of the road for the Bengals, but Cincy’s cigar-smoking easy rider proved all over again that he’s one of the game’s top talents. Burrow’s calm demeanor is no sales gag. He seemed to only improve as key pieces around him were lost to injury. With 92 total touchdowns over three seasons, Burrow’s inevitably huge second contract rests on the horizon.”
That slots Burrow behind only Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. Some might argue ranking him behind Hurts isn’t valid yet, but if it wasn’t the Eagles quarterback, it probably would have been someone like Josh Allen or Justin Herbert.
The reality is there are many ways to rank quarterbacks and much of it comes down to personal opinion if it’s not strictly production-based. But most would seemingly agree the Bengals have a top-three or five passer with Burrow.