The Cincinnati Bengals and star quarterback Joe Burrow have received some encouraging pointers in their favor. This take comes from an NFL analyst and writer, with Burrow also looking healthy coming into the offseason.

While the Bengals QB was out being treated for his Grade 3 turf toe injury sustained last year, the Bengals made some huge additions to their defense. With Burrow back, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports thinks the Bengals are a much better team overall.

"With Joe Burrow back, the defensive front rebuilt, and a pretty easy schedule," he wrote on July 28. "It’s hard not to be really excited about this team. Check back in Week 3, though. If the Bengals can avoid their trademark slow start, watch out."

In his latest Fox Sports NFL Power Rankings, published on July 28, Vacchiano ranked the Bengals in the 10th spot, moving up a spot from their previous 11th-place ranking.

Burrow has struggled with injuries in his career. He suffered an ACL, MCL, and PCL tear and a partial meniscus tear in his rookie season, and tore his wrist ligament against the Baltimore Ravens in November 2023.

However, he is now back from a toe injury he suffered in a 31-27 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the meantime, the Bengals have added stars like Dexter Lawrence II, Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook, and Boye Mafe to improve their defensive line.

Burrow had a few words to say about his team following the new additions in the team.

Joe Burrow Speaks on the Bengals and expresses his feelings

The three-time Pro Bowl star has previously talked about how good the team has become, even comparing the revamped Bengals to his 2019 LSU team. He recently went on to speak at the post-practice conference about the team's 2026 goals.

"Yeah, it's an exciting feeling," he said, per the Cincinnati Bengals Talk. "But like we talked about today and and yesterday, it doesn't matter now. We had a great offseason on paper, but now we have to go and put all these pieces together and have individual improvement, have cohesive improvement, and find out who we are as a team and gel."

The Bengals and Burrow would love to be in great shape this season, given that they haven't played in the playoffs for the last three seasons.

They played their last playoff game in 2022, losing 20-23 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Conference Championship game.

They have yet to win a Lombardi Trophy, losing in the Super Bowl three times: 1981, 1988, and 2021. Burrow and his team would need to stay fit to achieve what the franchise has been eyeing for a long time.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit