CINCINNATI — The scene contained in the Cincinnati Bengals‘ locker room resembled the aftermath of a mid-week follow within the fall.
Quarterback Joe Burrow, seated at his locker, together with his chair turned to face the center of the room, barely hunched over, analyzed one of many workforce’s offseason exercises. This present day featured a beautiful ball in a 7-on-7 drill to vast receiver Andrei Iosivas, completely squeezed between three converging defenders.
It regarded as sharp as Burrow has ever regarded within the spring. However when introduced with that notion, he shook his head back and forth. Even when it appears to be ok, in his thoughts, there may be all the time one other stage for him to hit.
That was a standard theme for him this offseason. Regardless of having an MVP-caliber season and getting back from an unprecedented wrist harm, Burrow believes he can do extra. And he is aware of that is what it is going to take to revive the Bengals as a playoff contender.
“On the finish of the day, you win and lose along with your quarterback play,” Burrow stated initially of the workforce’s necessary minicamp in mid-June. “I will take that to coronary heart and be higher this 12 months.”
That could be a fairly excessive bar to clear. Final season, Burrow led the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43). He was an MVP finalist and received Comeback Participant of the 12 months for the second time in his profession.
However an extra examination of the numbers, particularly within the fourth quarter, may clarify why Burrow believes there’s nonetheless room to develop.
In 2024, Burrow was third in Complete QBR (74.7). However within the fourth quarter, Burrow’s QBR dropped to twelfth at 62.8. Whereas he did have 12 touchdowns within the last quarter, he additionally threw 5 interceptions — as many as Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson mixed, in keeping with ESPN Analysis.
To be truthful, these different three quarterbacks performed on considerably higher groups. Burrow and the Bengals needed to drag themselves out of a 4-8 begin to the season whereas the opposite squads chased a Tremendous Bowl, which Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately received.
There’s additionally a matter of Burrow’s efficiency when throwing into tight home windows. When a receiver has a yard of separation or much less by the point the ball arrives, Burrow posted the second-worst Complete Anticipated Factors Added in these conditions (-54.4), in keeping with Subsequent Gen Stats. Solely new Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith was worse.
That provides better context to the dazzling throw Burrow to Iosivas within the 7-on-7 drill within the offseason. Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher stated Burrow has been eyeing the flexibility to squeeze the ball into these conditions.
“I simply see a man that is seen loads of soccer, performed loads of soccer and has no worry in anyway,” Pitcher stated on June 11. “Complete consolation and confidence in himself and in his talent set. And if there is a window, he is gonna throw the ball. Does not matter how massive it [is].”
All through offseason exercises, Burrow spent further time throwing on the workforce’s follow fields after the day’s session had wrapped up. The reasoning, he stated, was to repeatedly tweak his throwing movement, improve its effectivity and develop an excellent rhythm.
What was most fascinating was Burrow’s concession that he nonetheless is not absolutely recovered from his 2023 surgical procedure to restore the scapholunate ligament in his throwing wrist, an harm that has not been documented in quarterbacks or baseball pitchers.
Burrow feels that he’s making good progress in that pursuit of refinement.
“That is what retains you coming again while you’re bettering,” Burrow stated. “It sucks while you’re working actually exhausting and you are not seeing any enchancment, however in case you’re working sensible then you definately normally do and that is fairly addicting.”
A greater Burrow could possibly be what pushes the Bengals again into championship rivalry. The recollections of the Tremendous Bowl look on the finish of the 2021 season and a return journey to the AFC Championship Sport in 2022 really feel distant after two straight nine-win campaigns that fell wanting the playoffs.
Each rep within the offseason and coaching camp is geared towards getting the Bengals again to that time.
“We all know the gamers now we have in that room, coaches now we have up there,” Burrow stated. “We all know the expectations now we have for ourselves — playoffs, Tremendous Bowl, AFC championship. That is the expectation round right here. We’ve got to get again to it.”
