Joe Burrow Rumors: Latest Buzz on Dolphins Interest, Bengals QB Preference

There's some buzz coming out of Paul Brown Stadium that Joe Burrow may not be the consensus top pick among the staff in the Cincinnati Bengals front office.

While the LSU quarterback has sat atop draft boards since late November, Peter King of NBC Sports recently noted that not everyone in Cincy is sold—and there's another worthwhile option at quarterback should the team look to trade the first overall pick before the draft kicks off April 23.

"I've heard there are some inside the Bengals who are true believers in [Justin] Herbert," King wrote.  "If so, such a deal could be intelligent for Cincinnati. But we'll see how it goes. Burrow has the toughness and ability and mental acuity to be a very good long-term quarterback."

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller has Herbert as the third quarterback coming off the board in his latest mock draft, going to the Los Angeles Chargers with the No. 6 pick. Notably, that means the Bengals would pass on Tua Tagovailoa, whose health concerns after suffering a dislocated hip last season have teams speculating on his long-term durability, should they trade down.

If the Bengals want Herbert, they could easily take him at No. 1. But that might be putting themselves at a disadvantage.

There's already plenty of talk about the Miami Dolphins trading up to take Burrow with the first pick. Considering the Dolphins have three first-round picks this year, they have more than enough assets to make that happen, which makes the Herbert noise worth listening to.

Yet such a deal still seems unlikely. Speaking on ESPN's Get Up on Thursday, Dan Graziano acknowledged Miami's desire to reach an agreement with Cincinnati, but the Bengals may be done listening.

"At this point, the Bengals have given no indication that they're willing to move out of that pick," Graziano said. "They intend to sit there at No. 1 and take Joe Burrow. I think you're going to continue to hear this over the next 15 days. It's entirely possible that the Dolphins continue to improve their offer and get to the point where they entice the Bengals, but to this point that has not happened."

If Cincinnati is just trying to get a better offer from the Dolphins, there are multiple risks to that game. The Bengals may not be the only team Miami is talking to about moving up in the draft. The Dolphins own the No. 5, No. 18 and No. 26 overall picks. If there's a quarterback the team wants other than Burrow, it may be willing to part with a smaller package than what it is offering the Bengal to grab him, per Graziano.

"They feel like if they sit at No. 5 or if they trade up with the [Detroit] Lions to No. 3, they can get a quarterback that they like," Graziano said. "But it doesn't look, at this point, as if they're going to be able to move all the way up to No. 1 and get Joe Burrow."