Who Has a Hall of Fame Case Among the Cincinnati Bengals’ Current Stars?

In honor of Hall of Fame weekend in the NFL, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell made a list of players’ chances from all 32 teams of making it to Canton. He put notable candidates into five different tiers — in, on the cusp, keep it up, work to do or missing out — and the Cincinnati Bengals had four players mentioned.

Ja’Marr Chase

Chase was placed in the “keep it up” category, signaling Barnwell thinks the star wide receiver has a great chance of making it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame if he continues to put up similar numbers.

The 2021 No. 5 overall pick has started his career with five straight Pro Bowl appearances, an Offensive Rookie of the Year award and first-team All-Pro honors in each of the past two seasons, putting together a pretty stacked resume for a player who is only 26 years old.

I agree with Barnwell’s analysis here. If Chase has another four to six years of upward of 1,400 yards and double-digit touchdowns, there is no reason he can’t lock up his spot in Canton well before he retires.

Joe Burrow

Burrow slotted into the “work to do” tier, which probably suits him best. His numbers are on par with those of a potential Hall of Fame career, but a handful of injuries raise concerns about his longevity.

Cincinnati’s franchise quarterback has been selected to three Pro Bowls and has earned AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year honors twice. He is yet to win an MVP, with his closest finish coming in both 2022 and 2024, when he finished fourth.

I also agree with Barnwell’s opinion on Burrow, mainly because his numbers are lagging behind a bit because of his list of injuries. If Burrow can stay healthy and return to his 2024 form, he will move closer and closer to the next tier with Chase.

Tee Higgins

Higgins was also placed in the “work to do” section, but he is definitely a step below Burrow. He doesn’t have the career accolades of his counterpart Chase, making just one Pro Bowl, but he has still done enough to be mentioned by Barnwell.

I think Higgins is closer to “missing out” than he is to “keep it up,” especially because he is the second option on the offense. However, he has all the tools necessary to increase his chances over the next few seasons.

Dexter Lawrence

The final Bengal to make the list was one of their newest additions, Dexter Lawrence. He has consistently posted solid numbers but barely missed out on joining Chase in the “keep it up” tier.

Lawrence has compiled three Pro Bowl selections and two second-team All-Pro honors in his career. He also came in at No. 17 on the NFL Top 100 list in 2025 and is still waiting to hear his name called this year.

I think Lawrence is closer to moving up a tier than he is to moving down. If he can bring his sack numbers up after a down year in 2025, he will make a great case for sliding up to “keep it up” prior to next season.