Joe Burrow is once again among the NFL’s elite, at least according to the guys he lines up against every Sunday. The Bengals announced that their franchise quarterback checked in at No. 44 on the NFL’s Top 100 Players of 2026 list, revealed Thursday. It’s his fifth straight appearance on the annual, player-voted countdown.
The number itself tells a story of respect earned the hard way. NFL.com’s rollout notes Burrow fell out of the top 10 this year after an injury-shortened 2025 season — a sharp drop from his No. 6 finish a year ago. He debuted on the list at No. 21 back in 2022, climbed to No. 6 in 2023, dipped to No. 39 in 2024, then rocketed back to No. 6 in 2025 before this year’s fall.
The voting isn’t run by media panels or algorithms. Active players fill out the ballots, counting down from No. 100 to No. 1, with NFL Network revealing two names a day, Monday through Friday, through late August, before the top 10 gets its own daily rollout starting in September.
A Season Defined by a Torn-Up Toe
Burrow’s 2025 was a study in what-could-have-been. He suffered a Grade 3 turf toe injury on Sept. 14 during a Week 2 win over Jacksonville, an injury that required surgery and, per initial team reports, carried an estimated three-month recovery window.
No. 44 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@Bengals QB Joe Burrow! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/1OQHOY2dCT
— NFL (@NFL) July 30, 2026
Cincinnati started 2-0 with Burrow under center, then went 1-8 without him. Backup Joe Flacco, acquired from Cleveland midseason, and Jake Browning split time running the offense while the Bengals’ playoff hopes slipped away. Burrow’s practice window opened Nov. 10, and the team confirmed he’d return Thanksgiving night against the Baltimore Ravens — a faster turnaround than most expected.
He made it worth the wait. Burrow threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-14 win over Baltimore in his return, then kept rolling. In Week 16 against Miami, he completed 78.1 percent of his passes for 309 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-21 win, a performance that earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, according to the Bengals’ own recap.
By the numbers, it was a short season with big efficiency marks: eight starts, 1,809 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a 100.7 passer rating.
| Season | Top 100 Rank | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | No. 21 | First appearance |
| 2023 | No. 6 | Season ended early via wrist injury |
| 2024 | No. 39 | Coming off wrist recovery |
| 2025 | No. 6 | Strong full-health season |
| 2026 | No. 44 | After toe injury cost him nine games |
Why the Drop Makes Sense — and Why It’s Still Notable
A player-voted list inevitably rewards volume and availability, not just efficiency. Burrow played in only 8 of 17 games, and no matter how good his per-game numbers were, that kind of absence is going to cost points with peers filling out ballots. Falling from No. 6 to No. 44 isn’t really a referendum on his ability — it’s a referendum on games missed.
What makes the No. 44 spot notable is that voters still placed him inside the top 50 despite the absence. NFL.com’s writeup pointed to the Bengals’ record as the clearest evidence of his value: Cincinnati went 5-3 in games Burrow started and 1-8 without him last season.
Analysts see the drop as a blip, not a trend. Pro Football Network’s Impact Score analysis still ranked Burrow among the sport’s most valuable quarterbacks when healthy, noting he finished the year 10th among quarterbacks in their metric despite barely playing enough games to qualify, and fifth the year before when he played a full slate.
Camp Buzz Suggests He’s Ready to Go
There’s no hint of a lingering issue heading into 2026. As Bengals training camp opened this week, wide receiver Tee Higgins offered a simple review of his quarterback’s form: “He’s looking really good, like he’s in midseason form,” Higgins told the team’s website, adding that Burrow’s placements were sharp in early camp reps.
Burrow himself has been candid about why he pushed to return for a team that was already out of realistic playoff contention. “I’m a football player, and if I get hurt, I’m going to go through the rehab process and I’m going to let everybody know when I feel like I can go out there and play,” Burrow said ahead of his Thanksgiving return.
What’s Next
Cincinnati enters 2026 fresh off what the Bengals themselves have called their most expensive offseason in franchise history, aiming to build a roster capable of surrounding a healthy Burrow with enough talent to finally get back to the playoffs. The Top 100 reveal will keep rolling out new names daily into September, with the top 10 spots — where Burrow has twice landed before — still to come.
