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The last couple weeks leading up to training camps the past two years have been survey season for the national sports media as high-ranking executives, scouts, and talent were asked for their thoughts and opinions on who the best players in the league were at each position group.
The compiled list that got the most traction and notoriety was ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler’s annual Top 10 list that he has compiled over the past two years. While there were several members of the Cincinnati Bengals that were featured and mentioned, their star quarterback’s ranking has caught the most headlines, and for good reason.
Last year, Joe Burrow just cracked the top five at No. 5 but he further bolstered his claim as one of the best in the entire league because he made the jumps three spots all the way up to No. 2 behind only two-time league and Super Bowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Unflappable. Very calm. Poised,” an AFC executive said. “Whether you’re pressuring him, whether he’s ahead or behind, he stays level all the time.”
One AFC offensive coach told Fowler that the former first overall pick in 2020 is No. 2 and “it’s not close” because of how” he does everything well, he’s more skilled than given credit for, “tough as hell and extremely accurate.”
He praised Burrow’s elite passing skills to the intermediate-to-deep parts of the field and noted that the 26-year-old leads the league in touchdown passes (19) and touchdown-interception ratio (19-4) on passes thrown 20-plus yards downfield. In 2022 alone, his 53 completions of 20-plus yards were the fifth-most in the NFL.
One NFL quarterbacks coach Told Fowler that Burrow is the “most refined quarterback” in the league and “a model for young quarterbacks to follow.”
“He takes time to appreciate because the elite athlete isn’t what you see first,” a veteran NFL scout said. “But the more you watch him, the more you’re like, Damn, he’s doing the right thing every play. It’s a lot like [Drew] Brees and [Tom] Brady where they start doing things so consistently every year and you’re thinking, Well, maybe he really is that guy.”
The Bengals’ young face of the franchise lowered his interception total from 14 to 12 last year while throwing for a career-high 35 touchdowns per Pro Football Reference. He is next in line to become one of, if not the highest-paid player in league history after leading his team to back-to-back AFC title game appearances the past two years which included a trip to Super Bowl 56 in 2021 which was his first full season as the starter.
Ja’Marr Chase Cracks Top 3 For Second Year in a Row
Burrow’s top target nearly cracked the top two this year according to Fowler after he came in at No. 3 following his sensational rookie season in 2021. Even though he missed five games due to a hip injury, the respect he garnered around the league in 2022 stayed the same, and “many evaluators consider Chase the very best”.
“He’s the rare X receiver you can put on the outside, and he can win against anyone,” an NFC exec said. “Other receivers are more scheme-dependent than him.”
The only two receivers that finished ranked ahead of him were First-Team All-Pros Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings and Devante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders. Chase recorded 87 catches for 1,046 receiving yards, and 9 touchdowns in 12 games for a second straight Pro Bowl bid per PFR.
Fowler called him the “ultimate deep threat” since he leads the league with six receiving touchdowns of 50 or more yards over the past two seasons. Chase is also one of four receivers in the history of the NFL with at least 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns through the first two seasons.
The only other players to ever accomplish that feat were three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. who now plays in the division after signing with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason, Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, and four-time AFL champion Bill Groman who played in the league from 1960-1965.
“He’s not as polished as a route runner or technician as Jefferson, but the combination of size, speed, and playmaking ability is elite,” a senior NFL personnel evaluator said. “He’s trending up. His raw playmaking ability is rare. Run after catch, he’s probably the best of these guys.”
Underrated Heros Make Honorable Mentions Lists
Two of the Bengals’ top playmakers on both sides of the ball just missed on cracking the top 10 of their respective top 10 lists but still received recognition by being highlighted among the honorable mentions section.
Two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson has recorded 22 sacks in his first two seasons with the team including 8 in 2022 per PFR and his pressure rate of 16.8% led the league for the second year in a row.
“High pressure rate,” an NFC executive told Fowler. “Sack numbers were down in ’22 but pressure rate was up. Great motor and violence. Plays game the right way.”
On July 7, 2023, the seventh-year veteran was named the Bengals’ most underappreciated player by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin.
“He’s far from a nobody, but for as productive as he’s been, he gets nowhere near the attention he warrants,” Benjamin wrote. “In three years as a full-timer with the Saints and now Bengals, he’s only racked up 35.5 sacks, 30 tackles for loss, and 76 QB hits. As the headlining pass rusher for an annual title contender, he belongs in conversations with the best at his position.”
Fourth-year wide receiver Tee Higgins was described as a “rapidly ascending player” and he had a strong case to crack the top 10 because “many consider him a true No. 1 despite his status behind Chase in Cincinnati.” He proved that he could carry the weight as the top option by recording 371 receiving yards during a four-game stretch when Chase was out with an injury last year and finished with his second straight season of 1,000-plus receiving yards.
“True outside wideout with a big catch radius for vertical plays and back-shoulder slants,” an NFL personnel director told Fowler. “You can put the ball around him and he can adjust, take advantage of one-on-ones.”
While neither offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. nor interior defensive tackle D.J. Reader garnered enough votes to be an honorable mention on their respective positions’ list, they both were still featured in the ‘Also receiving votes’ section.
Brown Jr. is returning to the AFC North to be Burrow’s new blindside protector for the forsee able future after signing a four-year deal worth $64.09 million with the team in free agency per spotrac.com. Reader is entering the final year of a four-year contract he signed with the team in 2022 and is widely regarded as one of the best run-stuffers in the league when healthy.
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