Expectations for the Cincinnati Bengals and star QB Joe Burrow in particular have plummeted over the past couple of years. Between the Bengals' poor defense and Burrow's injuries, many have written them off for 2026 already. But one former NFL player believes that Burrow will surprise everyone in 2026.
Appearing on Good Morning Football, former NFL safety Rodney McLeod - who played against Burrow for several of his final NFL seasons - asserted that Burrow has seemingly been working harder than ever before to prepare. McLeod declared that Burrow is going to "ball out" in 2026.
“It doesn’t seem like he’s taken a break since the season ended. He got that call to the Pro Bowl and he’s just climbed,” McLeod said. “He's been putting us on notice. "
Of course, Burrow would need to actually get onto the field in order to prove McLeod right. Over the past three seasons he's missed 16 games, nine of which came this past season.
Burrow isn't getting any younger either. He'll be turning 30 in the middle of the 2026 season and injuries like the ones he's had tend to take longer to heal after that age.
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Gold when Good
But even with the injuries he's dealt with, Burrow remains one of the best players on a week-to-week basis when he's able to get on the field. He averages over 270 yards per game for his career and has averaged more than 280 yards per game in years where he's been totally healthy.
Burrow's QBR has been consistently high and gone over 100 in four of his six seasons.
Most importantly though, his accuracy is historically high. Over his career he's completed 68.5-percent of his passes, which would be an NFL record if he retired today.
Simply put, if Burrow can get onto the field, the Bengals are going to get good play out of him.
