analyst
Chase Brown Ready For Three-Down Role in Bengals Offense
Cincinnati Bengals RB Chase Brown is poised to become a top fantasy contributor with a dual rushing and receiving role in a high-powered offense
Joe Burrow
QB · CIN · 29 yrs · exp 6 · LSU
Status
- Game status
- Active
Keep Trade Cut (SF TEP)
From latest snapshot · trend vs ~7d prior when data allows.
Value
7,292
Rank
#15
Pos rank
#5
7d trend
—
Value history (90d)
One snapshot point per calendar day (shown in your timezone).
Latest: Sep 7, 2026 · 7,292
News
Stories linked to this player — newest first.
QB · BAL
QB · CIN
general
One reason each AFC team could disappoint their fan base: Will offensive line let down Lamar Jackson?
The 2026 NFL season is officially here, and every fan base believes they have a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy (except maybe the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals ). It's all happiness and butterflies for football fans as we enter opening week, but have you ever stopped to wonder if all this optimism is unwarranted? Let's get pessimistic and talk about one reason why every team in the AFC will disappoint its fan base in 2026. If your team fails to meet expectations this season -- whatever those are -- what will be the reason? From awful offensive lines to questionable quarterbacks, to shaky secondaries and pathetic pass rushes, there are reasons to be wary of every team in the NFL. The Baltimore Ravens have three new starters on the interior of their offensive line: John Simpson at left guard, Ethan Pocic or Jovaughn Gwyn at center and first-round pick Olaivavega Ioane at right guard. If this group can't stop pressure up the middle, Lamar Jackson is going to be scrambling for his life. Now, the two-time NFL MVP is pretty good at scrambling, but if he suffers any kind of injury, the Ravens are toast. Jackson missed four games with a hamstring injury in 2025, and while he eventually returned, the Ravens quarterback accounted for just 12 touchdowns compared to eight turnovers in the final nine games of the season. Anyone who watched the Ravens knew something was off, as Jackson's rushing yards per game dropped from 41.5 to 20.3. So, can this offensive line keep Jackson upright and healthy? The Cincinnati Bengals defense is expected to be "better" in 2026 given the additions of players like Dexter Lawrence II, Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook . But how much better? This unit ranked third-worst in scoring defense (28.9) and dead last in yards per play allowed (6.2) last year. The Bengals have now missed three straight postseasons after back-to-back AFC title game appearances, largely because of the defense (along with Joe Burrow's injuries). Can Cincinnati generate any pass rush with Mafe, Myles Murphy , Shemar Stewart and Cashius Howell ? Will linebackers Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr . perform better in Year 2? The secondary looks solid on paper, but this group gave up 7.0 YAC per reception last season -- the most by any team in the last 20 years! The Bengals will have to prove their issues on defense are fixed. Andrew Berry put together the best draft class in the NFL last season and appears to have another solid group coming in with Spencer Fano , KC Concepcion , Denzel Boston and Emmanuel McNeil-Warren . This Cleveland Browns defense is going to be effective, even without Myles Garrett . The problem is that they still don't have a quarterback! Whether you were surprised by the decision or not, Deshaun Watson did not earn the job over Shedeur Sanders in the preseason. He's been statistically the worst starting quarterback in the NFL since that infamous trade back in 2022 and will surely be on a short leash this season. Sanders definitely energizes the fan base, but he was also statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the league since his NFL debut in Week 11 last year. Personally, I'd roll with Sanders. But the quarterback issue may set up another season-long nightmare for our friends up in Cleveland. Even though the Pittsburgh Steelers moved on from Mike Tomlin and replaced him with Mike McCarthy, I view this team exactly the same as I did last year: a fringe playoff team that is competitive but won't win the Super Bowl. The Achilles' heel of this team could be the offensive line or the secondary. This Steelers pass defense ranked fourth-worst in the NFL last year. They did add Jamel Dean , who is a legitimate starter at corner, and safety Jaquan Brisker , who loves to mash the hit stick but has struggled in coverage and with concussions. We also don't know if Joey Porter Jr . will be in the fold. He's finally been activated from the PUP list, but he hasn't been practicing with the team. Porter is seek [... truncated ...]
QB · CIN
WR · CIN
general
Joe Burrow: Bengals have brought in the right guys to chase goal of winning a Super Bowl
Bengals QB Joe Burrow and WR Ja’Marr Chase praise the team’s new defensive additions, including DT Dexter Lawrence, as a key step toward a Super Bowl run
QB · CIN
general
Joe Burrow: Bengals have brought in the right guys to chase goal of winning a Super Bowl
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow thinks this year's additions on defense make Cincinnati a Super Bowl contender
QB · CIN
general
Why this Bengals season just feels different to Joe Burrow: ‘Feel it in my bones’
Joe Burrow expresses strong confidence in the Bengals' current season, citing a distinct feeling of potential success
general
Fernando Mendoza is first No. 1 QB since Baker Mayfield who won't start Week 1
The Raiders naming Kirk Cousins their starting quarterback to open the 2026 season was hardly a surprise. While Las Vegas had been projected to draft Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall for months, the team’s brass had said publicly that its preference was for a rookie quarterback to sit and learn behind a veteran. But now that it’s official, Mendoza has become a member of a rare group of quarterbacks from recent years. Mendoza is the first quarterback since Baker Mayfield in 2018 not to start Week 1 after being selected at No. 1 overall. Mayfield’s situation was not particularly unusual at the time, as Jared Goff had been through the same thing in 2016. But since then, Kyler Murray (2019), Joe Burrow (2020), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Bryce Young (2023), Caleb Williams (2024), and Cam Ward (2025) have all been their respective club’s Week 1 starter after being selected at No. 1 overall. Since Matthew Stafford was selected at No. 1 overall in 2009, only Goff, Mayfield, and Mendoza have started the season as QB2. Sam Bradford (2010), Cam Newton (2011), Andrew Luck (2012), and Jameis Winston (2015) all started the season opener. Mayfield made it into a game by Week 3, taking over for an injured Tyrod Taylor to lead the Browns to their first victory since 2016 with a 21-17 victory over the Jets. He took over as Cleveland’s starter the following week. It took longer for Goff to ascend to QB1 for the Rams in 2016, as he began his tenure as Los Angeles’ starter in Week 11 with a 14-10 loss to Miami. Mendoza’s development will remain a priority for the Raiders, even as he won’t receive starters’ reps in the regular season. “ Early work, late work. More meetings ,” Kubiak said on Wednesday. “Plenty of time on the field between drills with [QBs] coach [Mike] Sullivan and [offensive coordinator] coach [Andrew] Janocko. Every player that is not starting the first game, that is helping us on the look team, we’re just trying to find every edge we can find to continue to get him better and his teammates better.” Aside from those selected at No. 1 overall, there are plenty of QBs who haven’t started early and ended up being successful. “I think there are so many examples both ways,” Kubiak said. “I think the most important thing with the quarterback room or any other position is to build competition within the room. That makes players so much better faster than coaching, when they have a guy in front of them that they can look up to and see how something’s done — that’s going to accelerate their growth.” We’ll see when Mendoza becomes Las Vegas’ starter. If Cousins plays well and the Raiders are winning, that might not be until 2027. But history suggests Mendoza will be on the field sooner or later as a rookie
general
Klint Kubiak names Kirk Cousins starter over No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza
Klint Kubiak names Kirk Cousins starter over No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza
general
2026 NFL Comeback Player of Year trends, odds: Sportsbook rooting against Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson
Until 2024, trying to predict NFL Comeback Player of the Year was a total crapshoot because there really were no criteria for those Associated Press voters. But starting with that '24 season, the criteria was changed to give the award to a player who returned from "illness, physical injury, or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season." So, long story short, it could no longer go to a guy who was just terrible one year (if healthy) and good the next. I took a look Monday at updated NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year betting trends from BetMGM and today will do the same for Comeback Player of the Year with the season kicking off one week from tonight. Much like for NFL MVP, CPOY has become a quarterback award, with a signal-caller having won seven straight seasons until that run ended in 2025 with 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey taking it home. Sign up to wager on NFL using the BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS to get up to $1,500 in bonus bets: Fans can stay up to date with information from our NFL news page, and bettors should also look for picks from the SportsLine Projection Model and our experts during the 2026 NFL season. McCaffrey was the first tailback winner since the Cardinals ' Garrison Hearst in 2001. Hard to argue against McCaffrey, though. He was limited to just four games in 2024 but played all 17 last year and totaled better than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 17 TDs. Lions pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson was second in the 2025 voting and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott third. Two players have won this award twice in quarterbacks Chad Pennington and Joe Burrow , but needless to say McCaffrey won't be winning again this year. He isn't even a betting option at BetMGM. Nor should he be. But San Francisco has three Pro Bowl-caliber players returning from major 2025 injuries who are close to the top of the board in pass-rusher Nick Bosa (+2000), linebacker Fred Warner (+3000) and tight end George Kittle (+3000). Running backs have never won this in back-to-back years and the one with the shortest odds is the Giants ' back-flipping Cam Skattebo at +3500. A defensive player hasn't won since Chiefs safety Eric Berry in 2015, and newly unretired Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is a +800 fourth-favorite. Considering the future Hall of Famer hasn't played since 2023, he'd be my choice as it would be a story right out of Hollywood. Wager on the NFL with the latest FanDuel promo code and get up to $350 in bonus bets: But the favorites are three quarterbacks: Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes (+185), Washington's Jayden Daniels (+400) and Minnesota's Kyler Murray (+550). The book is quite exposed on Mahomes, as he leads in handle (46.2%) and tickets sold (18.1%) on this prop. Comeback Player of the Year is about the only thing Mahomes hasn't won yet in the NFL, but he "somewhat" qualifies coming off a torn ACL and LCL that limited him to 14 games last year. He will be ready for the season opener vs. Denver. Since he was cleared in late July to participate in all football activities, Mahomes has not missed any practices but didn't play in the preseason. If you were wondering, Tom Brady won Comeback Player of the Year in 2009 after suffering a major knee injury of his own in the 2008 opener and missing the rest of that season. So the obvious GOAT parallels are there, but Brady missed basically a full campaign , while Mahomes missed three games. Berry has been Kansas City's only winner since this award returned in 1998. Murray is second in tickets (12.0%) and handle (9.7%) at BetMGM, and he has the double-whammy of coming back from injury and starting over with a new team, as Murray has won the Vikings ' starting job over former first round pick J.J. McCarthy . Murray probably has more offensive talent around him than Mahomes does. Bet futures and more NFL picks at DraftKings, where new users get $200 in bonus bets after they spend $5+: The player the book is most exposed on is another ve [... truncated ...]
general
Josh Johnson to stick with Bengals on practice squad
Veteran quarterback Josh Johnson’s third stint with the Bengals will continue. Johnson will sign with Cincinnati’s practice squad, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The Bengals have just two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster in Joe Burrow and backup Joe Flacco. Johnson, 40, signed a one-year deal with the Bengals in March after spending last season with the Commanders. He appeared in five games with two starts for Washington, completing 63 percent of his passes for 372 yards with one touchdown and two picks. In this year’s preseason for Cincinnati, Johnson completed 60.7 percent of his passes for 396 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Johnson’s long career has now seen him play for the Bucs, 49ers, Browns, Bengals, Jets, Colts, Bills, Ravens, Giants, Texans, Raiders, Lions, Commanders, and Broncos
QB · CIN
general
Joe Burrow plans to play for as long as he can
Joe Burrow intends to continue playing in the NFL for as long as he can, despite injuries and a desire to stay healthy
general
Joe Burrow on Super Bowl goals: "If you don’t talk about it, I don’t know how you can do it."
Joe Burrow on Super Bowl goals and his experience at LSU
general
Bengals set their initial 53-man roster
Bengals release several players, set initial 53-man roster
general
Buccaneers to release Jake Browning; Jalon Daniels set to be No. 2 QB
Buccaneers to release Jake Browning; Jalon Daniels set to be No. 2 QB
analyst
Jake Browning Gets Released by Buccaneers
Jake Browning was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QB · BAL
QB · CIN
general
Football 301 predicts AFC North win totals where Lamar Jackson and the Ravens return to prominence, Joe Burrow's Bengals bounce back and the Steelers and Browns miss the playoffs
It's Lamar Jackson 3.0 in Baltimore. Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, will the Bengals truly commit to more under-center play-action to unlock explosive plays for Joe Burrow?
analyst
Dohnte Meyers a "Roster Lock," Becoming a Receiver to Watch
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Dohnte Meyers might be "the best story in any NFL training camp" this summer, according to The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. When top wideout Ja'Marr Chase went down earlier this week in practice with a knee scare, Meyers was running with the first team. Dehner adds that Meyers has been "undeniable" in his bid for a roster spot because of the consistency of his playmaking at every turn, when at first it felt like his only path to make the team was as a kick returner on special teams. The 26-year-old stuck around after practice to work with quarterback Joe Burrow on Wednesday and is now "a roster lock" with an offensive role in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "Physically, he's quick, he's fast, he's got another gear," receivers coach Troy Walters said. Meyers has worked his tail off and is versatile, so he could put a lot of pressure on Andrei Iosivas for the WR3 role sooner rather than later behind Chase and Tee Higgins. It will not be easy, though, as rookie fourth-rounder Colbie Young has also looked good in camp with plenty of highlight catches. For now, Meyers is an interesting bench stash in dynasty/keeper leagues
analyst
Chase Brown Could See More Under-Center Rushing Opportunities
The Bengals are designing their offense around Chase Brown, making him a strong midrange RB1 target in 2026
QB · CIN
general
Joe Burrow draws strong reviews for an overlooked talent of his
The Bengals franchise QB is not easy to get down behind the line scrimmage
analyst
Dohnte Meyers Rising in Bengals Offense, has Path to Targets
Dohnte Meyers impressing in Bengals training camp, has chance to earn targets
general
Agent's Take: What a Baker Mayfield two-year contract extension could look like for Buccaneers quarterback
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remain in contract negotiations, with Mayfield reportedly seeking a longer commitment than the two-year extension offered. Key sticking points include the total value and guarantees in the proposed deal, as well as the length of the contract. Mayfield is currently in the final year of his contract and is seeking a deal that aligns with the current market for veteran quarterbacks
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.