David Klingler

Joe Burrow towers over David Klingler like a skyscraper next to a shed—Burrow's the Bengals' supernova with playoff heroics and MVP whispers, while Klingler's a 1992 first-round flameout, mustering just 3,994 yards and a 66.1 rating in Cincy before elbow woes hit. Burrow's living the dream Klingler chased but couldn't grip.

Nah, David Klingler's not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—no bust in Canton for the Houston gunslinger who lit up college with 54 TD passes in '90 but fizzled in the NFL with 16 scores over six years. He's more trivia nugget than gold jacket guy.

In 2026, Klingler's deep into academia as Associate Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, trading pigskins for scripture after that elbow derailed his NFL run—smart pivot for a guy who once slung 11 TDs in a college game. Guy's preaching now, not passing.

Klingler's cannon arm from Houston's run-and-shoot would feast under today's pass-happy rules—no more bump-and-run corners, just cushions galore for his quick release. But that 13.54 college-era rating hints at accuracy woes against NFL speed; he'd be a boom-or-bust backup, not a starter.

Ken Anderson owned Bengals lore with a 39.41 rating and '80 MVP hardware, while Klingler limped to 66.1 on 3,880 Cincy yards amid pick-six festivals—Anderson was the surgeon, Klingler the guy who nicked himself. Both franchise QBs, but one's etched in bronze, other's a what-if.