It isn’t uncommon to see Joe Burrow’s surroundings with the Cincinnati Bengals described as some of the best a No. 1 passer has joined in many years.
And the wideout group is a big part of it. A.J. Green is a well-known commodity. Tyler Boyd has quietly been a No. 1 for years. John Ross still has top-10 potential and Tee Higgins is a guy the Bengals seemed to view as a first-round pick.
So it’s interesting to think about where the group might rank against the rest of the NFL.
For Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey, it’s a borderline top-10 unit that slots 11th:
“Unlike most situations highly drafted quarterbacks find themselves in, Joe Burrow will actually have weapons to throw to in Cincinnati next season. A.J. Green has struggled to stay healthy of late, but he is one of the game’s elite when he’s at 100% — he has recorded grades of 80.0 or higher in each season he has played in since 2012. Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and John Ross form a strong supporting cast, as well, and all bring their own strengths to the table. The big question with Cincinnati’s offense is the offensive line, but if that group can manage to hold up, Burrow could impress with this receiving corps early in his career.”
Hard to argue with the unit just coming up short of the top 10. It might be higher if there weren’t so many question marks hanging over things. We still don’t know if Green is going to be able to consistently stay on the field. Same applies to Ross. All of the guys have to develop timing and chemistry with Burrow, too.
For his part, Burrow is already trying to set up workouts. Luckily for him, he’s walking into one of the NFL’s best wideout groups, not to mention Joe Mixon in the backfield behind him.
