Joe Burrow Chess Master? New Report Details Bengals' Locker Room 'Camaraderie' Built on Board Game

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is believed to be the best chess player in his team's locker room, per tight end Erick All Jr., who is an accomplished player himself. However, as All explained to ESPN's Ben Baby, chess is bringing the Bengals together this summer as they look to get back on a winning track.

"All is considered one of the best at chess in the locker room. All, who has progressed well in his first year back from a knee injury he suffered in 2024, estimates his highest ever Elo rating -- a skill level rating where the average person is typically between 800 and 900 -- was around 980. But he believes Burrow still holds the crown as the locker room's best (Burrow, a longtime player, declined to divulge his Elo rating)," Baby wrote.

"But for the Bengals, what matters most is the camaraderie being fostered, especially ahead of an important season. The Bengals have missed the playoffs three years in a row after advancing to the Super Bowl in 2021.

'It felt good, the guys all gathering around the table,' All said. 'It's a good way to bring guys [together]. And you got to be smart. You got to know your way around the board to play. You just can't be making senseless moves.'"

Burrow's love of chess has been noted before, particularly during the Bengals' 2021 AFC title-winning season. According to Baby, Cincinnati had a chessboard in the locker room, and Burrow would play games with then-Bengals tight end Thaddeus Moss and then-Cincinnati cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who is now with the Baltimore Ravens.

Burrow said he started playing chess in childhood and that his love of the game was rekindled during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Chess is fun," Burrow said in January 2021, per Baby. "It's very strategic, and you have to plan all your moves. That kind of calls to me."

Switching gears from chess to football, the Bengals certainly hope to experience some of the magic from that aforementioned 2021 season. The Bengals haven't made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons and fell to 6-11 last year.

Granted, Burrow was out for nine of those games due to a Grade 3 turf toe injury, and Cincinnati went 1-8 in his absence.

Thankfully, he's ready to go in 2026 as the Bengals look to bounce back. Their camaraderie and chemistry are off to a good start as the Bengals set their eyes on Week 1, when Cincinnati hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Sept. 13.