Joe Burrow doubling down on his message to the Bengals should give fans some needed relief entering the offseason
Bengals QB Joe Burrow is using his words wisely.
Joe Burrow put it on record last month he wants the Cincinnati Bengals to “think outside the box and get creative” this offseason in re-tooling the roster.
Burrow has since eviscerated the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals since making that statement, but his thoughts on Cincinnati’s immediate future are the same.
“We want to be competing for championships every year,” Burrow said Wednesday. “We don’t want to be in the spot that we’re in now, so something’s got to change. Whether it’s players that we have continuing to improve and get better and playing championship caliber football, or bringing guys in that will, or whatever it may be. Obviously something has to [change].”
Burrow doubling down on his original statement is notable. The Bengals may be in the process of finishing the season on a high note, but change, in whatever form Burrow’s referring to, is still a priority for the 29-year old quarterback.
It matches what Bengals fans are eager to share.
Joe Burrow says what Bengals fans want to hear
It’s become tradition in Cincinnati to conclude disappointing seasons with wins and improved play in the final weeks. Fans often steal the phrase “dead cat bounce” from the finance world and apply it to their own feline-named club. Instead of an asset seeing its declining price recover, it’s the Bengals who put together victories that ultimately prove meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
More importantly, those wins threaten needed change to the coaching staff and roster in the preceding months. Underwhelming coaches and players all of the sudden find success in the weeks after playoff elimination has preserved jobs that would’ve rather been turned over to potential upgrades.
This is why Burrow’s messaging matters.
The most valuable employee in Paycor Stadium knows despite the season looking slightly better now than it did in the middle of December, change is still needed. Another “dead cat bounce” can’t prevent the front office from focusing its efforts on aggressively improving the roster where improvements are needed. The liabilities that eliminated them from the postseason for a third consecutive season are still present, regardless of the more recent sample size of tape and production.
Hovering around .500 every year, hoping Burrow and receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins can elevate the rest of the roster into the playoffs is not acceptable to leader of the locker room.
Burrow is making it known he wants more action from those above him. That should give fans at least a little bit of relief entering yet another important offseason.
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