What Joe Burrow expects out of his second season as the Bengals' quarterback

What the world saw of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in 2020, his rookie season, was just a glimpse of what he expects to be in his second year.

Burrow has high expectations for himself and if his words come to fruition, the Bengals will be in good shape.

“I expect to be better,” Burrow said on Wednesday. “I put in a lot of work this offseason that I’m excited to show off. All of our guys have. We’re a much better football team that has prepared the way we need to and understands how to win games now, I think. I’m excited to put that on tape."

After suffering a season-ending knee injury 10 games into his rookie year, Burrow wants to show what people saw of him during that span wasn’t a fluke. In order to get back in time for the season, Burrow attacked his rehab relentlessly. Cincinnati's star quarterback cut diary out of his diet when he had surgery. He dropped to 190 pounds at one point and had to build his strength back so he started lifting more. He now fluctuates between 210-215 pounds. Every decision he makes is intentional to put himself in the best position to play at a high level. 

To put into perspective how good Burrow was last season, here are some notes to keep in mind:

• Prior to the injury, he was on pace to break the Bengals’ single-season passing record as well as the rookie passing marks for attempts, completions, passing yards and 300-yard games
•  His 264 completions were the most ever by an NFL quarterback through their first 10 career games, as well as his 404 pass attempts which were the second-most
• Burrow’s five 300-yard passing games tied a Cincinnati single-season record and are the third-most by a rookie in NFL history
• First rookie in NFL history to throw for 300 yards in three consecutive games

The reason those stats are important to bring up is to simply show how important Burrow is to the Bengals’ offensive success and highlight his potential. If Burrow is better than he was last year, Cincinnati is in good hands. 

Head coach Zac Taylor built his offense tailored to Burrow’s strengths and his knowledge of the system will only help the Bengals. Burrow earned Taylor’s trust right away and entering their second season working together, he’s even more involved in the game plan.

“I’m voicing my opinion more probably, yeah,” Burrow said. “I would say that’s fair to say.”  

Taylor has given Burrow the freedom to make changes at the line of scrimmage. He has Taylor’s full trust if he checks out of a play. What Burrow has been able to do in terms of win over his coaches and teammates in the way that he has in unique for his age.

Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who’s coached veteran quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford, said it’s telling how much trust Burrow has earned to be able to make decisions of his own.

“You see something, you check it, you go,” Callahan said of what he tells Burrow. “We’re not going to second guess that. There’s a plan in place but he does have the freedom to get to anything. Our system is now becoming his, that’s what you want it to be.”

The 24-year-old is very particular about what he wants and his expectations for his teammates. His preparation is thorough and its why Taylor believes his team has a chance every time Burrow steps on the field.

Burrow gets his first chance to show he’s capable of leading the Bengals to their first winning season since 2015 on Sunday when the team hosts the Vikings on Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.