Joe Burrow’s current evolution may be the key ingredient to getting the Cincinnati Bengals over the top
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is putting more pressure on the organization than he’s ever done before. He’s also not staying the same while doing so.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is putting more pressure on the organization than he’s ever done before. He’s also not staying the same while doing so.
Burrow nearly led the Bengals to a Super Bowl in 2021. Now 29 years old, he watched his team miss the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. He’s only been on the field for roughly half of that stretch. He knows the time is now, and he’s making sure everyone in the building knows it too.
A more direct approach from Joe Burrow
Burrow has always been the source of Cincinnati’s competitive standard. The way he’s going about it, however, has shifted. During his press conference at the end of mandatory minicamp, Burrow acknowledged he’s taking a more direct line of communication with his teammates, holding teammates accountable and, in his words, being a little bit more “mean.”
“I think this offseason I’ve really focused on trying to bring urgency to the room, and try to just get everybody to understand the level of urgency that we have this year,” Burrow said. “The level of play that’s going to be required of every individual that steps out on that field, so I’ve tried to communicate that. I’ve tried to be a little more vocal, maybe in a mean way. I think that’s a little out of my comfort zone, but that’s somewhere that I’m improving.”
It means something for Burrow to take that step. The three-time Pro Bowler is already one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL when it comes to the on-field aspects of the position. Players want to join forces with him, and chase a championship under his command.
All of that is great when there are no losses on the record, or when the season is going well. In the moments when things go sideways, when guys get punched in the gut, and everyone needs to be pulled back to reality, it’s on Burrow to rally everyone and stay on them for good.
The Bengals can’t afford another slow spiral
Cincinnati chose to run it back this offseason. The coaching staff stayed intact. The front office stayed intact. The Bengals placed their trust in the people already in the building, supplemented by a handful of veteran additions on defense to help straighten out that side of the ball.
The offseason could have started with a new coach, a new staff, a new director of player personnel. Instead, the organization doubled down on the current structure.
Burrow is aware of that, and the urgency radiating from him reflects it.
The offseason is when fans imagine the Bengals going 14-3, grabbing the No. 1 seed, and coasting to the Super Bowl. It never works like that. It especially doesn’t work like that for Cincy. Just like the last three years, there will be weeks when the team doesn’t look like itself. There will be crushing losses and stretches of doubt about how much the Bengals can accomplish.
The difference between making a Super Bowl run, and watching the playoffs from home again is how quickly those bad moments get corrected. Cincinnati can’t let losses stack up the way they have recently.
Burrow becoming a more commanding force for the entire roster is a vital part of preventing that from happening.
Only the beginning of this evolution
It’s still early. OTAs and minicamp are behind the club, but training camp, the preseason, and the regular-season grind remain ahead. The 90-man roster still needs to be trimmed. The real tests haven’t arrived yet.
I’m fascinated to see how Burrow’s leadership continues to evolve once the intensity ramps up. If his more vocal, more demanding approach translates into raising the standard of play for everyone around him, that may be the key ingredient to getting the Bengals where they expect to be.
Burrow has always been the constant that makes Cincinnati a contender. If he can improve the one area he’s identified as a growth point, it won’t just make him better. It makes everyone else better, too.