Joe Burrow ranked very favorably by NFL executives, coaches and scouts

Suffering a season-ending injury in 2023 apparently didn't do too much to alter the way that Cincinnati Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow is viewed by league insiders across the NFL.

Burrow ranked as NFL's second-best QB

ESPN recently released a ranking of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL as voted on by executives, coaches and scouts, and Burrow came in at No. 2, behind only Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Burrow was also ranked No. 2 last year, so the wrist injury that ended his '23 campaign clearly didn't discourage league insiders from voting for him highly. Here's some of what ESPN had to say about Cincinnati's star signal-caller:

"Burrow hasn't exactly hurt his standing in the pantheon since last year's voting -- he's still considered one of the game's very best and won a close race for No. 2 -- but his growing injury file has planted a seed of doubt.

"He played conservatively early in the season while managing a calf strain, and the wrist injury suffered in a Nov. 16 loss at Baltimore all but derailed Cincinnati's season. Burrow had surgery to repair a torn ligament but is participating in offseason workouts and the early returns are good. His 51.8 QBR of 2023 was far below the previous two seasons."

When it comes to Burrow, there's no question about his skill set. He has an excellent arm, and he's extremely accurate. He's proven that he can step up when the Bengals need him to and he's had some serious success early in his career.

Durability is the only real knock against Burrow at this point, as acknowledged by ESPN. Burrow has suffered a season-ending injury in two of his four seasons in Cincinnati, and this has led to lingering questions about his ability to remain healthy and out on the field. Popular Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd recently compared Burrow to oft-injured NBA star Joel Embiid. Moving forward, Burrow will have to remain healthy in order to put the "injury prone" narrative to bed.

Who else made the list?

Having Mahomes at the top of the list makes a ton of sense. After all, the dude has already led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl victories and he's still just 28 years old. Then there's Burrow. But what about after him? Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills came in at No. 3, followed by Lamar Jackson, Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud, Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff and Dak Prescott. Other honorable mentions included Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, Kirk Cousins and Trevor Lawrence.