NFL news: Joe Burrow says Bengals have most talented roster since he arrived

Joe Burrow is thrilled with the Cincinnati Bengals offseason moves and is thinking big.

Burrow, 29, praised the front office for the moves they made in free agency to fortify their defense.

“This is the most talented roster we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Burrow said while speaking to reporters Wednesday. “The front office has taken a lot of heat from the fans, the public, the media. We can put all of that behind us.

“They went and made it happen with free agency,” he added. “And then obviously with Dexter (Lawrence), making a trade like that, that doesn’t happen a ton in the NFL. So it’s exciting to see.”

The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback praised the free-agent signings of safety Bryan Cook, defensive end Boye Mafe and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, along with the big swing of the offseason: trading the No. 10 pick for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.

“The number one thing is you have to win,” Burrow said. “We’re going to go win a lot of games this year and play great and win a Super Bowl.”

Burrow said he did not give the front office any mandates or threats to make additions after a 6-11 campaign last season.

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“I would say we had a lot of communication during free agency,” Burrow said. “We didn’t have our postseason meeting like we typically have. I would say if anything, I was less involved this year than in years past.”

The Bengals missed the playoffs for a third straight season last year in large part because of a horrendous defense, allowing the third-most points per game in the NFL last season at 28.9.

“I just think we know where we needed to be better, and we went out and aggressively made it happen,” Burrow said. “We filled some holes that we had from years past, got better at a lot of positions. Signed the best free agent safety (Cook). Got the best D tackle in the league, in my opinion. So we have everything we need in that locker room. We just have to go make it happen.”

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The 29-year-old said the energy is elevated in the locker room and that the vibes are palpable.

“There’s no secret that the last several years didn’t go the way we wanted to, and there’s a lot of blame to go around for that, myself included,” Burrow said. “We’re in a great spot this year. We brought in great people and great players. You can feel the vibes of the locker room. The energy is elevated right now. We have some veteran guys that can come in and show the younger guys on defense what it takes, what it means to be great every day. That’s exciting to be a part of.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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