Joe Burrow: Would be nice to break Bengals career touchdown pass record this year

May 21May 21

By Josh Alper

Published May 21, 2026 07:02 AM

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow thinks he’s surrounded by more talent than at any other point in his NFL career and that has him thinking big about the kind of numbers he’ll be able to put up this season.

Burrow was asked at a Wednesday press conference if there are any individual milestones he’s targeting during the 2026 season.

“I’m pretty close to the Bengals franchise touchdown record. I’m like 50 or something away, so that would be nice to break this year,” Burrow said.

Burrow is actually 47 touchdown passes away from tying Andy Dalton’s franchise record. Only five quarterbacks have reached that number in a single season — Peyton Manning did it twice — so the odds would favor Dalton holding onto the mark for at least one more year, but pulling it off would help Burrow’s chances of reaching another goal. He said he’d like to win an MVP “eventually” and putting that many points on the board would likely mean he’s put up that kind of season.

Joe Burrow not surprised Trey Hendrickson signed with Ravens

By Charean Williams

Published May 20, 2026 05:37 PM

Edge rusher Trey Hendrickson was never going to re-sign with the Bengals once he hit free agency. The only question was: Where was he going to sign?

Hendrickson ended up with the Ravens, a day after Maxx Crosby failed a physical with Baltimore to negate a trade with the Raiders.

On Wednesday, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow reacted to his former teammate landing with an AFC North rival.

“Not very surprising,” Burrow said, smiling, via Shelby Dermer of The Cincinnati Enquirer. “I know Trey. I love Trey. I just know how he operates.”

Burrow and Hendrickson were teammates for four seasons, but both were injured last season. The quarterback played only eight games and the edge rusher seven, which are big reasons for the Bengals’ 6-11 record last season.

Both are now healthy, and if they stay that way, Hendrickson will chase after Burrow for two games this season. The teams are scheduled to meet Oct. 25 in Baltimore and Dec. 31 in Cincinnati.

“That’ll definitely be fun,” Burrow said.

But Burrow said it’s always fun when the Ravens and Bengals play, regardless.

“Any time we play the Ravens, that one is circled,” Burrow said. “That goes back years when Lamar [Jackson] and I were a lot younger. That’s always a battle when we get after it.”

Joe Burrow: This is the most talented roster since I’ve been in Cincinnati

By Josh Alper

Published May 20, 2026 03:00 PM

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said earlier this week that the team has “everything we need” to contend for a Super Bowl title and he doubled down on his belief in the team’s capabilities at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Bengals spent the offseason targeting additions to their defense and added defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, edge rusher Boye Mafe, safety Bryan Cook, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, second-round edge rusher Cashius Howell, and third-round cornerback Tacario Davis to the unit. The result is a group that Burrow feels stands apart from the teams he’s been on since he came to Cincinnati.

“I think this is the most talented roster that we’ve had since I’ve been here . . . We got guys that work really hard to put themselves in position to perform well, perform to our standard,” Burrow said. “We haven’t necessarily done that for a couple of years, so we brought some guys in who have been there and done that and have their own standard of play and are going to live up to that. Now we just have to come together as a unit and do it as a collective.”

Health has been another shortcoming for the Bengals in recent seasons and there’s no way to know how things will play out on that front come the fall. If it does, the talent on hand should position the Bengals for better results than the ones that left Burrow despondent near the end of the 2025 season.

Joe Burrow: We have everything we need

By Charean Williams

Published May 18, 2026 08:12 PM

Joe Burrow expressed his frustration at the end of an injury-plagued 2025 season. The Bengals quarterback said he needed to have fun if he was going to keep playing football.

Missing nine games wasn’t fun, and neither was the team missing the postseason for a third consecutive season.

Burrow, though, is satisfied with what the Bengals have done this offseason in attempting to rebuild their defense.

“They’re going to keep getting great players to come play for the Bengals, and when they do that, then it’s my job and Zac’s job and the leaders of this team to bring the locker room together and then go execute on the field,” Burrow said Monday, via Geoff Hobson of the team website. “We have everything we need.

“We made a big trade for a big-time player. Signed a free agent top safety on the market and other additions. We’ll see how the rookies end up. . . . But first impressions, we’ve got guys that care about the game, care about their job, and want to be great. When you have young guys like that and veterans like we do, it’s a recipe for success.”

Burrow pointed specifically to the acquisitions of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, safety Bryan Cook and edge rusher Jonathan Allen.

“You can feel the vibe and the leadership has changed in the locker room a little bit,” Burrow said. “It’s exciting for everyone.

“B. Cook, in the limited time he’s been here, you can feel his presence early. Dexter, too. A lot of guys on the D-Line now. You have Jonathan Allen. Myles [Murphy] is walking around with a little more pep in his step this year. That’s exciting to see. I think he grew in confidence from the last five, six games. We need to carry that over, and I’m excited to see that.”

The Bengals have seven consecutive 1 p.m. starts to open the season, a first in Burrow’s seven seasons.

“That’s good. When we go on the road, we get back home early and watch more football,” Burrow said. “It’s always beneficial to watch more games. See how teams are playing and what teams are doing. See what defenses are doing.

“We’ll try to get flexed a couple of times into the sweet spot later in the season. Everybody feels like this is going to be an exciting season for us, so now we put in the work over the next several months to put the pieces in place to get to where we want.”

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/cincinnati-bengals

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