Joe Burrow delivered a confident message during the Cincinnati Bengals’ OTA sessions on Wednesday, publicly stating his belief that the franchise has its best roster since he entered the league.

“This is the most talented roster we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Burrow told reporters. “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.”

Burrow then made his expectations for the season clear.

“We’re going to go win a lot of games this year and play great and win a Super Bowl.”

The comments quickly gained traction across national sports media, including ESPN’s “Get Up” where Mike Wilbon openly questioned Burrow’s confidence and Cincinnati’s standing in the AFC hierarchy.

“I don’t make much of it,” Wilbon said. “This is the time when everybody overrates themselves. I’m not putting them above Buffalo in the AFC. Am I gonna put them above Baltimore in their own division? No. Above New England? No. I don’t know if I’m gonna have them above the Chargers.”

Wilbon also referenced the Bengals’ history and Burrow’s previous championship comments, arguing that Cincinnati still has to prove it can consistently contend at the highest level.

“He reminds me of Dan Marino, who had some great seasons,” Wilbon added. “There was a lot of talent, and he got [to the Super Bowl] once. Joe Burrow has been [there] once.”

Burrow backed up his optimism by highlighting the Bengals’ offseason additions, particularly on defense.

“Got better at a lot of positions,” Burrow said. “Signed the best free agent safety, got the best d-tackle in the league in my opinion. We have a lot of depth now on the defensive line.”

The Bengals spent heavily this offseason after criticism surrounding the roster over the past several years. Cincinnati added Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, Bryan Cook and Kyle Dugger in free agency and later traded for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. The front office also drafted Cashius Howell and Tacario Davis, giving the defense significantly more proven talent than previous Burrow-led teams.

Burrow also said the organization targeted players with established standards and postseason experience.

“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,” Burrow said.

While the Bengals have indeed improved on paper, Wilbon’s skepticism has more to do with Cincinnati’s position within a loaded AFC and whether or not they can translate all the offseason hype to wins on the field.

Burrow’s individual brilliance has never been in doubt. He has already led Cincinnati to one Super Bowl appearance during his career, but the Bengals have missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons since that run.