Bengals: Joe Burrow draws comparisons to future Hall of Fame quarterbacks
He might end up as the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL shortly, but Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is safely the No. 2 QB in the league. ESPN's top 10 poll, which gathered dozens of votes from league personnel, has Burrow directly behind Patrick Mahomes as the top passer. One AFC offensive coach even […]
He might end up as the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL shortly, but Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals is safely the No. 2 QB in the league. ESPN's top 10 poll, which gathered dozens of votes from league personnel, has Burrow directly behind Patrick Mahomes as the top passer.
One AFC offensive coach even said "it's not close," which is quite the statement considering how many great quarterbacks have emerged in recent years, including Josh Allen (voted third) and Justin Herbert (voted fifth).
Burrow's greatness is easily identifiable, but making a past comparison to him can be dangerous. One NFL scout went all in and name dropped two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks to describe how Burrow plays, and one in particular should make the Bengals' quarterback extremely happy.
The anonymous scout compared watching Burrow to watching the likes of Tom Brady and Drew Brees due to the play-to-play and year-to-year consistency Burrow has begun to show as a young quarterback.
"He takes time to appreciate because the elite athlete isn't what you see first. But the more you watch him, the more you're like, Damn, he's doing the right thing every play. It's a lot like [Drew] Brees and [Tom] Brady where they start doing things so consistently every year and you're thinking, Well, maybe he really is that guy." – NFL scout to ESPN's Jeremy Folwer
Comparing Burrow and Brady has been a thing since before Burrow even got to the NFL, which is simply crazy, but Brees is also a comparison that holds some weight. Deadly accuracy is the strength of both quarterbacks despite not having the strongest arms. Burrow is first in all-time completion percentage while Brees, who's thrown 9,491 more passes in comparison, is second on the list.
Their games are similar for a reason that goes beyond physical attributes. Burrow's favorite quarterback growing up was Brees. When they met for the first time in 2020, Burrow told the Super Bowl champion that he was his childhood idol.
You think the No. 9 just came out of nowhere for Burrow? You'd be mistaken.
Burrow has a few inches on Brees and a lot more mobility, but the way they throw the football and conduct an offense is strikingly similar. Burrow's made needed developments in his game since taking college football by storm four years ago, but his base has clearly been derived from Brees.
It's only fitting those in the NFL see the same.
Bengals: Former agent reinforces suspicion of Joe Burrow’s contract structure
He’s getting the entire bag.
Featured image via © Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
