Overview
- Executives and a scout, quoted Thursday by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, said they do not expect the Bengals to trade Joe Burrow.
- Cincinnati upgraded a leaky defense by adding Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook, and Kyle Dugger after ranking 31st in yards allowed and 30th in points allowed last season.
- Burrow is signed through 2029, and his standing as an elite passer would make any deal costly and unlikely.
- Burrow has battled injuries, playing eight games last season and 10 two years earlier, and he said in December that football had been less fun and that he had been through more than most.
- Cincinnati returns all 11 offensive starters, including Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, in a bid to push back into the 2026 playoff field.