NEW ORLEANS, LA – JANUARY 13: Quarterback Joe Burrow #9 of the LSU Tigers warms up before the start of the College Football Playoff National Championship game against the Clemson Tigers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 13, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. LSU defeated Clemson 42 to 25. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
Joe Burrow is not in Louisiana anymore.
Joe Burrow was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft and that meant a hefty payday. It also meant he is going to the worst team in the NFL from a year ago.
The Bengals limped to a 2-14 finish and Burrow now arrives as the savior. Andy Dalton and Ryan Finley combined to take 48 sacks last season and a picture from Bengals practice shows how Burrow will be taking a few more hits than he did last year with the LSU Tigers.
Joe Burrow will take some shots
Burrow became a legend at LSU in 2019. He threw for an insane mark of 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns in 15 games last season and led the Tigers to a national championship. Now he is with a new tiger-themed team and was sent flying into the water coolers at practice.
One thing that comes to mind is that the coaching staff may want to have a talk with the player who ran Burrow out of bounds to the point where he flew into the drink station. The last thing anyone needs to do is put Burrow in any position of danger during practice.
But this also serves as a larger sign that Burrow will take some hits in 2020. The Bengals are already the worst team in their own division, barring a Burrow miracle this season, and will enter with low expectations as the rebuild continues.
Getting Jonah Williams back should boost the offensive line after he missed his entire rookie season in 2019. Billy Price is another former first-round pick up front as the Bengals’ overhaul of the line is beginning to take visible shape.
However, the 2-14 record still stands out and No. 1 overall quarterbacks don’t usually show up and dominate. Growing pains are expected and being sent into the water coolers is an early sign of what is to come for Burrow this season.