The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t contend for a Super Bowl last year, but that’s largely because the absence of quarterback Joe Burrow.
Will he spearhead a turnaround season in 2026?
Two prominent analysts agree on his talent.
But they disagree sharply on where he belongs among the league’s best QBs.
ESPN’s annual survey of league executives, coaches and scouts ranked Burrow fourth among NFL quarterbacks entering 2026.
ESPN analyst Tim Hasselbeck responded by calling the placement “way too high” because of Burrow’s injury history.
Skip Bayless went in the classically opposite direction, arguing that Burrow should be No. 1.
Burrow may still play the position as well as anyone when healthy. However, his ability to stay on the field has become part of every evaluation.
Hasselbeck Says Burrow Is Ranked Too High
ESPN placed Josh Allen first, Patrick Mahomes second and Matthew Stafford third, with Burrow falling one spot from last year. Burrow received votes ranging from first to sixth, showing that some evaluators still view him as the league’s best while others moved him outside the top five.
Hasselbeck focused on the lower end of that range.
“I think Joe Burrow is way too high,” Hasselbeck said during an NFL on ESPN segment. He pointed to Burrow starting every regular-season game in only three of his six seasons and questioned placing him alongside quarterbacks who have combined elite production with greater availability.
The latest interruption came in Week 2 last season. Burrow suffered a toe injury against the Jacksonville Jaguars and missed nine games before returning on Thanksgiving night against the Baltimore Ravens.
He started eight games overall, and the absences pushed his total to 16 missed games since 2023.
Bayless Calls Burrow the NFL’s No. 1 Quarterback
Bayless looked at the same ranking and reached the opposite conclusion.
In a post on X, Bayless challenged the three quarterbacks placed above Burrow. He criticized Allen’s final playoff performance, pointed to a statistical decline from Mahomes and credited Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay for helping Stafford.
Bayless then repeated an evaluator’s description of Burrow: “He doesn’t play in a system. He is the system.”
“He’s No. 1,” Bayless wrote. “Just has to obviously stay healthy.”
The final sentence brings the two arguments closer together than the initial disagreement suggests.
Bayless considers Burrow the best quarterback in football while acknowledging the same condition Hasselbeck used to move him outside the top five.
Burrow’s limited 2025 season gave Bayless some statistical support.
Pro Football Focus awarded him a 91.8 overall grade and a 91.3 passing grade, both second among 43 qualified quarterbacks. He produced 18 big-time throws and only two turnover-worthy plays across 288 dropbacks.
Burrow finished with 1,809 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 100.7 passer rating in eight starts. His season lacked the volume needed to compete for major awards, but his efficiency remained among the league’s best.
Burrow remained ahead of every quarterback except Allen, Mahomes and Stafford, and unfortunately, durability pushed him out of the top three.
The next move belongs to Burrow.
Another highly efficient season will reinforce what Bayless sees. Playing all 17 games would address the concern Hasselbeck raised.
Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow Called Overrated and NFL’s Best