Joe Burrow is heading into Bengals training camp with a chip on his shoulder, at least according to one new NFL quarterback rankings release. Sports Illustrated dropped its full 1-32 starting quarterback countdown this week, and Burrow landed at No. 5 — just outside the sport’s top four.
According to Sports Illustrated, the top of the list runs Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford, and Lamar Jackson, with Burrow rounding out the group directly behind them. It’s a name-brand cluster where separating the five is more art than science, and Burrow’s spot says as much about availability as it does about talent.
Health Is Still the Question Mark
SI’s ranking doesn’t bury the lede on why Burrow sits fifth. The write-up opens by asking whether he can stay on the field, noting he’s played 10 games or fewer in three of his six NFL seasons. When he is out there, the results speak for themselves — a passing title in 2024, a Super Bowl trip in 2021, and back-to-back AFC title game appearances.
That durability question isn’t unique to Burrow. Mahomes, sitting at No. 1, is coming off his first major injury, a torn left ACL suffered in Week 15 last season. Despite the shortened year, SI’s rankings note he still finished sixth in the league in EPA, ahead of Allen, even as Kansas City missed the playoffs at 6-11.
The gap between the two players’ rankings, then, isn’t really about who’s better on tape. It’s about track record and recent hardware — Mahomes has three championships and two MVPs to lean on. Burrow doesn’t have that cushion yet, and voters are still making him earn it year to year.
A Loaded Supporting Cast in Cincinnati
Where Burrow has real separation from most of the pack is his surrounding talent. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins give him two of the league’s better receivers on the outside, and Chase Brown is coming off a 1,000-yard season in the backfield. If Cincinnati’s offensive line holds up and Burrow plays a full slate, the Bengals believe they have the pieces to end a four-year playoff drought — and make noise once they get there.
SI’s own writers frame him as a legitimate MVP threat if health cooperates. It’s the same conversation that’s followed Burrow since he first broke into the league: no doubts about the ceiling, plenty about whether he’ll be standing to reach it.
| Rank | Quarterback | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 2 | Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills |
| 3 | Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams |
| 4 | Lamar Jackson | Baltimore Ravens |
| 5 | Joe Burrow | Cincinnati Bengals |
How That Compares to the Executive Poll
This isn’t the only quarterback countdown Burrow has appeared in this month. A separate poll of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts conducted by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler had Burrow one spot higher, at No. 4, behind only Allen, Mahomes, and Stafford — with Jackson landing outside that group. SI’s Bengals coverage detailed that ranking last week, a drop from third the year before.
Fowler’s reporting included blunt praise for how Burrow processes the game. One NFL coordinator told him, “Burrow doesn’t play in a system. He is the system.” Voters who left him out of their top five, per Fowler, cited the 16 games he’s missed since 2023 as the deciding factor.
Two different rankings, two slightly different orders, but the same core theme: nobody’s questioning Burrow’s ability. They’re questioning whether he’ll be on the field enough to prove it over a full season.
Bengals fans have heard this before. The talent conversation was never really in doubt. It’s the health conversation that keeps knocking him out of the very top tier, and it’s the one training camp can’t answer — only the regular season can.
