Joe Burrow Makes Major Statement About Bengals' Roster Ahead of 2026 NFL Season

Joe Burrow feels the 2026 Cincinnati Bengals have an even more talented team than the one that went to Super Bowl LVI.

"I think this is the most talented roster that we've had since I've been here," Burrow said during a Wednesday press conference.

Burrow also summed up the Bengals' offseason by praising the franchise's acquisitions of players like Bryan Cook and Dexter Lawrence.

"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."

"We have everything we need in that locker room. We've just got to go and make it happen."

The Bengals are set to begin OTA offseason workouts on June 1, followed by the start of mandatory minicamp on June 16.

Burrow mentioned multiple times Wednesday he is happy the Bengals had passed on the chance to draft at No. 10 in order to package the pick in a trade for a veteran impact player like Lawrence.

"The front office has taken a lot of heat from fans, the public, the media, and we can put all that behind us. They went and made it happen with free agency," Burrow said.

Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said in March the Bengals were in talks with Burrow about the team's offseason plan, per ESPN's Ben Baby.

When asked whether he influenced the front office's direction on Wednesday, Burrow confirmed he and the Bengals had "a lot of communication during free agency."

"There's no secret that the last several years didn't go the way we wanted to, and there's a lot of blame to go around for that, myself included," Burrow said. "We're in a great spot this year.

"We brought in, like I said, great people and great players, and you can feel the vibes of the locker room. The energy is elevated right now. We have some veteran guys that can come in and show the younger guys on defense what it takes."

Burrow's outlook on the season is notably different from the way he spoke about the Bengals last season. The quarterback questioned whether he still had fun playing football in December, then told reporters that "something's got to change" with the team in January.

The Bengals, who are heading into next season on a three-year playoff drought, have been without Burrow over long stretches over that span due to a wrist injury in 2023 and turf toe in 2025.

Even with Burrow on the field, however, the Bengals have been hampered by their defensive struggles. In each of the last two seasons the Bengals ranked among the bottom seven NFL teams in yards allowed.

The Bengals' offseason additions have seemingly been enough to convince Burrow things will be different this fall when defensive coordinator Al Golden returns for a second season with the team this fall.