Ready to go? Joe Burrow has reportedly been studying the Bengals' offense for weeks
If the NFL season started tomorrow, Joe Burrow would be ready to go. Burrow has reportedly been studying the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense for weeks, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It was assumed the 23-year-old Burrow would be the Bengals’ pick for quite some time. Because of that, Burrow must have felt pretty good about studying the team’s offense.
Burrow’s preparation turned out to be the right move, as the Bengals took Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick Thursday.
That extra work has Burrow “far ahead,” according to Schefter, who believes Burrow will be able to challenge for the starting job right now.
No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow has been studying the Bengals’ offense for weeks now, and one source said that he is so far ahead that he will be able to challenge for the starting QB job right away.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 25, 2020
That last part shouldn’t come as a major surprise. Every quarterback taken first overall in recent years has, at the very least, competed for the starting spot. Many have started multiple games for their teams. Last season’s No. 1 overall pick, Kyler Murray, started all 16 games for the Arizona Cardinals.
Burrow should also be in for significant playing time in 2020. He could have a more difficult path to the starting role, as the Bengals currently have Andy Dalton. But it’s assumed the team will shop Dalton, and even if the Bengals aren’t able to trade him, Burrow is clearly still the future at the position.
Fans will have to wait to see Burrow in action this season to determine whether his early studying worked. If he look polished from Day 1, it could be a sign that the extra work paid off. If not, that’s OK, too. Plenty of promising rookies need time to adjust the the NFL game.
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