Drew Sample praises Joe Burrow: “not every quarterback has that kinda mindset”

The Cincinnati Bengals went through a few discouraging years, and it’s all starting to pay off.

Former No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow is going to be entering his third season in the NFL and will be primed to lead one of the best teams in the conference, having won the AFC a season ago.

Burrow has been the difference between an average team and one capable of getting to the Super Bowl. While Andy Dalton gave several quality seasons to Cincinnati, Burrow is going to be the franchise quarterback fans remember for decades.

But, what’s helped him get there?

While he has some innate talents, it’s Burrow’s hard work, and that’s what tight end Drew Sample, who was the team’s second-round pick the year prior to Burrow, dove into when talking about the star quarterback.

“Literally from his first day that I met him at Black Sheep [performance], he came in and he just wanted to work, he wanted to get better, he wanted to grind. Just to see the type of mentality he has off the field, in the offseason, in the weight room—not every quarterback has that kinda mindset,” Sample told AllBengals.com’s James Rapien.

That type of reputation is earned, not given.

While Burrow was one of the best quarterback prospects in the history of the NFL, he’s earned his spot in the league, and having rehabbed and returned to full strength after tearing his ACL, Burrow didn’t give up.

He didn’t turn on Cincinnati and blame the awful play of the offensive line that season.

Instead, he buckled down, rehabbed, and trusted the organization. Both sides have been repeating the benefits and should continue to as the star quarterback will have a much-improved line and a plethora of talented receivers this season.

Cincinnati should be thankful for a hard-working quarterback like Burrow, and they should do all they can to keep him in the Queen City for the long-term future.