Bengals' newly hired quarterbacks coach describes his existing relationship with Joe Burrow
No matter where Joe Burrow has been in the past six years, freshly promoted Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe has been there first. Burrow transferred to LSU the same year Kragthorpe, a former Bayou Bengals quarterback himself, was hired as an offensive analyst. Burrow was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020, the year after […]
No matter where Joe Burrow has been in the past six years, freshly promoted Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks coach Brad Kragthorpe has been there first.
Burrow transferred to LSU the same year Kragthorpe, a former Bayou Bengals quarterback himself, was hired as an offensive analyst. Burrow was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2020, the year after Kragthorpe was hired as an offensive assistant coach.
Burrow will continue to follow Kragthorpe's lead in the quarterbacks room inside Paycor Stadium next season. It's a good thing they won't be meeting each other for the first time.
Kragthorpe has naturally grown a working relationship with Burrow over the past six years. He's watched him from the earliest days as a first-year starter for LSU, taking the NFL by storm with the Bengals, and now recovering from a second season-ending injury entering his fifth season in Cincinnati. It'd be weird if they were actually strangers at this point.
"I feel like we're close. I feel like we know each other very well. I know his likes and dislikes," Kragthorpe said of Burrow to Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. "With the amount of time we've spent together, we have a very good relationship that continues to grow."
The only year Kragthorpe hasn't been a part of Burrow's journey as a starter was his most prolific one. Burrow put together the greatest statistical season a Heisman Trophy and National Championship winning quarterback ever accomplished in 2019, the first year Kragthorpe was grinding away with the Bengals.
Burrow's growth has not been linear, however, and he's had to make separate strides in order to thrive at the professional level. Kragthorpe has seen all of them first-hand, and his intimate knowledge of that progression will serve him well as Burrow's newest position coach.
Cincinnati and Zac Taylor have maintained a high level of continuity around Burrow during the early stages of his career. Kragthorpe was the logical choice to become the next QB coach after spending last season as the assistant to the role, and the obvious history he shares with the face of the franchise.
Now they'll look to make more history together in 2024.
New Bengals coach already had a connection with Cincinnati before being hired
Familiarity on multiple fronts.
